


The Quinary

by hbomba



Series: From Hel With Love [5]
Category: Lost Girl
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2015-11-06
Packaged: 2018-04-30 07:21:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5155193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hbomba/pseuds/hbomba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the events of “Remember When,” the gang uncovers a group of Elder Fae searching for the hybrid. When it is accidentally revealed that Lauren is the hybrid, news travels fast and she becomes the hunted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It takes a village sometimes. I’ve been working on this story off and on since I finished Remember When and I’ve had blocks, doubts and drinks at the various stages. Thanks to my fantastic wife and editor @lonejaguar for her patience, grammar, and sense of humor. Thanks also goes out to @terynjrobinson who read a three-quarters draft and gave notes = invaluable. And finally, to @difficultfae for the cheerleading and enthusiasm about all things writing. Some days you really do push me towards my goals.

__

quinary   
/'kwaɪnərɪ/

adjective  
1\. consisting of fives or by fives  
2\. fifth in a series  
3\. (of a number system) having a base of five

noun (pl) -ries  
4\. a set of five  
__

“Of pain you could wish only one thing: that it should stop. Nothing in the world was so bad as physical pain. In the face of pain there are no heroes.” | George Orwell  
__

“Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.” | Joseph Campbell  
__

“What’s taking so long?” Bo asked, kicking a can in the garbage-filled alley.

Lauren held her palm over the gash on Bo’s chest. “I don’t know. I’m new at this, remember?” She blew on her hands and rubbed them together before shaking them out, trying to refresh whatever juice she had left. Bo had been badly hurt in her last fight and Lauren had had little trouble patching her up but now her glow, as Bo liked to call it, was not doing the trick. She tried again, pressing her hand against Bo’s breastbone, her hand glowing, and slowly, ever so slowly, Bo began to mend.

“I think that we should go home, Bo. I’m out of juice and clearly we are outnumbered.”

“I can still catch up with them.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Bo smiled her best bad-girl-on-a-mission smile before she took off running. “Shit,” Lauren said, sighing and giving chase.

It had been a month since Lauren’s Fae returned to her and she and Bo were redefining their relationship in large part because of it. Lauren had become Bo’s right hand. Her personal medic. Bo protected her most of the time and when she couldn’t, Lauren learned to protect herself.

She made it five blocks before she had to slow down, calling ahead to Bo as she jogged to a stop. Lauren doubled over, bracing herself on her knees, her chest heaving with effort. Her tolerance for physical exertion had greatly improved since her Fae returned, but her limit was still far under a full Fae like Bo’s. Lauren started to walk back and forth in the alley, trying to keep her body from seizing before Bo came back for her.

Lauren reflected on her time as a crime fighter. How absurd did that sound? Before the exhilaration came from protecting herself and to some extent that was still true, but now she was with Bo, watching her kick ass every night. It filled her with a sense of pride and appreciation for what Bo was and what she could do. Lauren’s contribution was no less important. In fact, it freed Bo up to be more than she was before.

Screeching tires heralded Bo’s return as a van sped away. She ran around the corner and skidded to a stop in front of Lauren. “They bolted,” she said, out of breath. Lauren made a face as she tried to stretch, the fight had taken its toll on her. She braced herself on the brick wall of the alley and inhaled sharply. Bo was at her side almost immediately. “What is it?” Bo asked, her hand coming to rest on Lauren‘s back.

Lauren shook her head and righted herself. “Just exhausted. Let’s go home.” She could feel Bo’s eyes on her, scrutinizing her every move, making sure that everything was all right as they walked back to the Camaro.

Lauren was a Fae/Human hybrid, that was true, but her abilities worked differently than when she had mainlined the Fae DNA of Eir initially. Now, it was fleeting, shorter lived, she wasn’t as strong or as fast as before and there was a limit to how much she could heal. And when she was tapped out, Lauren had to rest because her body was weakened. 

Bo helped her out of the car and up the steps to the clubhouse. Once inside, Lauren collapsed onto the sofa.

Kenzi was curled in the armchair, playing a video game. She looked over at Lauren‘s drawn and pale face. “Putting the Doc through the paces again, Bo-Bo?”

“We ran into a little trouble but we’re all right.” Bo kissed the top of Lauren’s head.

“Speak for yourself,” Lauren mumbled, the ache in her bones becoming overwhelming.

“C’mon, let’s get you to bed.” Bo helped Lauren off the couch and led her up the stairs to the bedroom. Gratefully, Lauren climbed into bed and Bo covered her over. She was out moments after her head hit the pillow and it would be half a day before Lauren emerged from her slumber.  
__

A few months had passed since the fabric of their world was torn apart, the Fae plague was reawakened by the foolish writings of the Blood King. Bo had not completely reconciled with her grandfather and Lauren had come to accept her reasons despite releasing the grip she had on her own grudge.

They were happy--some might say ridiculously so--and Lauren had let herself be sucked into Bo’s private detective fantasy. On board as Bo’s very own Fae medic, Lauren’s powers, while weaker than before, were still more than enough to mend most any wound she could get fighting.

Relations between Bo and her grandfather were still strained but Lauren had convinced Bo to try, however half-hearted her attempts. And Kenzi was a survivor, she had slowly started to move on from Hale’s death. Together, they were one big implausible family, but it worked.  
__

The smell of coffee roused her; its herbaceous and earthy aroma was just what Lauren needed to break through to consciousness. She opened one eye, her head pounding. She groaned and touched her temple with her hand, squinting from its glow as her headache faded into a memory. 

“That is a nifty trick, Doctor.” Bo took a sip from a mug and set it on the bedside table beside another steaming mug.

Lauren opened her eyes, at last, and smiled at Bo, who sat beside the bed. She inhaled. “What’s up?” Lauren asked, knowing Bo had news for her by the look on her face.

“Trick summoned me to the Dal this morning. Apparently those thugs we were after last night told a tale of the formerly-Light Fae doctor laying hands on the unaligned succubus to heal her.”

Lauren rubbed her face. “Shit.”

“It’s about to get crazy again,” Bo said. “Are you up for it?”

“And if I wasn’t?” Sitting up, Lauren lifted the mug of coffee from her side table and sipped it with her eyes closed. “Mmm.” She sighed.

Bo smiled and crawled onto the bed. “I have my ways.” She laid beside Lauren, pulling her hair back from her neck so she could press her lips there. 

A chuckle got stuck in Lauren’s throat as Bo’s mouth moved across her collarbone, pulling at her shirt as she went. “Bo…” She squeezed Bo’s arm.

“Hmm?” She didn’t look up from Lauren’s bare shoulder, pressing kisses onto it as she inched closer.

“Who else knows about my glow?“ Lauren asked. 

“There’s no telling. Word travels fast in Fae town.“

“Aren’t you worried they’re going to come for us?”

“Those thugs from last night? They aren’t that organized. Besides, it’s a beautiful day and I feel like celebrating.”

Lauren’s hand tangled in Bo’s hair. “What are we celebrating?” 

Bo kissed her tenderly. “The sunshine, the birds chirping, an amazing cup of coffee, the succubus and the doctor…” She whispered against Lauren’s lips. 

Lauren pushed her head back into the pillow, chortling. “How can I argue with that?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t.” Bo grinned, hovering above her.

She clamped a hand down on the back of Bo’s neck and brought her mouth to her own. It was the Saturday morning romp that Lauren had come to appreciate since life had moved into a holding pattern of normalcy. Well, as normal as things got when the Fae were involved. Bo would usually be up early--a hold out from their Friday night mayhem--as Lauren slept it off. She was used to finding Bo, feet kicked up on the edge of the bed, tipping back in a chair with a cup of coffee and the comics, waiting for her to wake. 

Ever since the revelation of her hybrid blood, Bo had taken her role as protector to the next level. They would fight, and for the most part Lauren held her own after the first trial by fire a few months ago, but when Lauren was tapped out, Bo’s protective mode kicked in. She’d carry her, if need be, to the car, help her into bed and watch over her as she slept. Lauren was her most vulnerable during slumber, more so than most beings because her condition caused her to sleep so deeply that there was no way to protect herself other than to employ Bo.

Of course when Lauren finally awoke, Bo would crawl in bed behind her, covering her skin with kisses as they made love. And it was breathtaking, elevated from what it once was, Bo could feed and Lauren felt no ill effects from it. But even when Bo didn’t feed, their connection was strengthened. Like today, when Lauren could feel Bo’s heart beating against her chest. So big and beautiful Bo’s heart was, that it threatened to overwhelm her. The thumping against Lauren’s breastbone was her own heart falling in sync with Bo’s as they moved together. It was electric. She was alive with feelings unlike anything she’d experienced before. And she was so in love that it didn’t occur to her to mind that it was because of this relationship and all that they’ve done to be together, that they were such targets.  
__

“So what’s this case Dyson has you on?”

Bo dropped a stack of files onto the table in front of Lauren. “From what I can take away from these files, some big time humans have gone missing in the past year. There are ties to a lunar calendar--whatever that means--and a few solstice abductions, too. Bodies, alive or dead, have never been found.”

“Good morning to me.” Lauren kicked back with a file in hand and began doggedly scouring every detail.

“Chipper Doc today, Bo-Bo. Whatever did you get up to while I was out?”

Bo smiled. “A little of this, a little of that.”

“You’re an artist, my friend. Straight up, renaissance woman.” Kenzi held her hand aloft before clapping it against Bo’s.

“Very mature,” Lauren smirked from behind the file.

Bo dropped onto the cushion beside Lauren and rested her chin on Lauren’s shoulder. “Whatcha thinking?”

“Did any of the humans know each other?” Lauren asked.

“Two researchers disappeared the same night, but I haven‘t had time to shake the bush to see what comes out.”

Kenzi made a face. “And when you do, let’s just keep that to yourself.” She hopped off the arm of the couch and walked into the kitchen. “So why are these missing humans on our radar? I mean, what does this have to do with the Fae?”

“The red herring.” Bo dug around in the pile of files and selected one. She held it up. “Darius Humbolt. The only survivor.”

“But you said there were no survivors?”

“Technically, he was never abducted. We aren’t even sure his case is connected. I think we should start there. Kenzi and I will go get a first look at Humbolt while you get caught up on the rest of the files.”

Lauren opened her mouth to protest and then looked at the substantial pile of files. Bo was right. She would hang back today, recuperate and refocus. The new case sounded like it had the potential to test their mettle and with the threat of a new Fae attack looming closer, she’d take every last bit of normalcy the universe would allow. “Sure.” She nodded, with a smile. “I’ll see you later.”

Lauren watched them leave and returned to flipping through the case file. After reading four files, she lifted the fifth and carried it with her to the kitchen. Meticulously, she prepared a kettle and a mug with a green tea bag and continued to read while she waited for the whistle of the kettle to signal her to action. As she poured the hot water over her tea bag, Lauren’s attention was pulled to the front door that swung open as the house alarm sounded. Trick stood in the entryway, silently accusing her.

“Is it true?”

Lauren squeezed a measure of honey into her mug and stirred it slowly. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“Are you still experimenting? I thought we had an understanding. Not only have you set a dangerous precedent experimenting on yourself, but you risked Bo being further drawn into this by healing her where someone could see you? How irresponsible can you be?” Trick was shaking with anger, his voice reaching a roar before the silence that followed.

“Trick…” Lauren said calmly.

But it didn’t slow his tirade. “Stripping the Morrigan of her powers was one thing but now you’ve put yourself and Bo in grave danger.”

“When aren’t we in danger?”

Trick sighed. Lauren watched his face as he willed himself to calm. “This is serious, Lauren. Very serious. A human doesn’t just become Fae. You can’t just appropriate our powers and not suffer the consequences. The hybrid is one of our oldest legends and all the texts agree; this hybrid’s power is dangerous.”

“It’s true that I am both Fae and Human now but as far as your texts, only you are privy to their message.” Lauren tucked the file under her arm and carried her mug to the sofa. She looked over the back of the sofa at him. “Is there something I should know, Trick?”

“No.” He shook his head, tight-lipped. “Just be careful.“ He was no poker player; Trick was definitely hiding something.

“What were you saying about having an understanding with each other?” She settled onto the sofa. “When you’re ready to tell me the truth, you know where to find me.”

“You must be careful.” He paused, considering his words carefully. “There are Fae who would seek you out and do unspeakable things.”

A chill ran through her blood and she shivered but she put on her brave face. “How is that different from any other day around here?”

“Imagine living out your life as a Fae banquet, feeding those who would take just enough to keep you alive so you can regenerate and live to see another night of feeding.”

Lauren’s mouth went dry. She had never considered the possibility of being eternal Fae food. Or that she would be a target for feeding at all. She thought of it myopically, she now realized. How could she have only accounted for ogre attacks and run-ins with the Dark clan? She guessed the answer to that question was simple. For as long as she has been in the Fae’s world, Lauren still could not predict what the Fae would do next. Even Bo, who she knew better than any Fae, surprised her regularly. She told herself it was because Bo was special, and in part it was, but realistically it was the Fae in general that were shifty. Trick was staring at her and it occurred to her that she hadn’t said anything in a few minutes. “Who means to hurt me?” Her voice was strong and clear.

“I’m sorry, but that‘s not information I can give you.”

“Then why tell me about their intentions?”

“I know how Bo feels about you…”

Lauren laughed. “So this is all for Bo’s benefit?”

“When I gave you your freedom, I thought you would be happy with Bo.”

“You may have given me my freedom, but Bo was never yours to give.”

She leveled her gaze at him over the lip of her teacup and sipped quietly. Setting the cup aside, she rustled through papers from the folder that sat in her lap. “Good to see you, Trick,“ she said, looking up at the diminutive man as she dismissed him.

His mouth hung open, wanting to say something, but reluctant just the same. “Watch your back, Dr. Lewis.” And with that, Trick spun on his heel and ambled back out the front door. 

She waited until she heard the outside door slam and the system reset before she let herself breathe again.   
__

She had moved on to wine by the time Bo and Kenzi returned. Lauren stood in the same bathroom where the revelation of her Fae had come to her and stared into the mirror at her body as the tub rumbled with rushing water. She sprinkled bath salts into the steaming tub and shut the tap off when it was dangerously close to being full. Sinking into the tub, she took up with her wine glass again and sighed. Lauren didn’t even know how to quantify a good day versus a bad where the Fae were involved anymore, but her gut told her that what little Trick had told her was the truth. That meant Lauren was in for some very bad days to come. But for now, she would peruse police reports and witness statements as she sipped a devastating Merlot in the bath. When the front door alarmed, Lauren abandoned the files at the side of the tub and reached for her tablet. She toggled the cameras to reveal Bo and Kenzi’s return and exhaled the tension that had been building since Trick left.

The top stair creaked--it was impossible to sneak past the creaky stair or the sticky floorboards at the top of the stairs--and Lauren looked over her shoulder. Bo stood in the doorframe, a bottle of wine under her arm. “You started without me.” She smiled. So disarming was Bo’s smile, that Lauren found herself slipping deeper into the tub as she approached. “If I were an old fuddy duddy I’d ask why you’re drinking alone at three in the afternoon?” 

“But you’re not a fuddy duddy.” She smirked.

“Thankfully,” Bo deadpanned.

Bo set the bottle of wine in the sink basin and knelt beside the tub. “What’s going on?” Her hand brushed the hair out of Lauren’s eyes.

She looked away. “I think we’re going to need to crack into that other bottle of wine before we get into that.”

Bo made a face. “Did something happen?”

“You could say that.” Lauren drained the wine in her glass and set it aside. 

Bo snatched her hand up before it could disappear under water. “Lauren…”

She sighed and looked at the ceiling. “Your grandfather came for a visit and he brought an ominous warning with him.”

“Shit,” Bo groaned. “What now?”

“Bo, he thinks I‘m the hybrid.” Lauren paused. “He said there will be people after me and insinuated they’ll use me as their own personal Fae buffet night in and night out for eternity.”

“Are you kidding?”

“He seemed sincere, but you never can tell.” Lauren shrugged.

“Typical,” Bo sneered as she lifted Lauren’s hand to her mouth, kissing her fingers. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Lauren smirked but she couldn’t ignore the uncertainty in Bo’s eyes. Both of them knew it was a promise of intention, not action.

Bo released her hand to fall into the depths of the tub and she stood. “We picked up some food; whenever you’re ready to come downstairs, we can put our heads together and figure this out.”

Lauren nodded. “Absolutely.” She smiled. Bo’s gaze lingered on her as she left the bathroom.

It would be twenty minutes before Lauren would descend the clubhouse stairs. Bo and Kenzi looked up from the container of egg rolls they were fighting over. “Did you wash those Fae right out of your hair, Doc?”

Lauren smirked. “Something like that.”

Bo scooted over and Lauren filled the space next to her on the couch, resting her arm on Bo’s shoulder. “Any luck with Humbolt?”

“This guy!” Kenzi exclaimed. “You shoulda seen him, Doc. It was like he had a Fae bullshit detector because as soon as he saw Bo, he freaked and not in a nice way either.”

“I had to wait in the car,” Bo said matter-of-factly, dipping an egg roll in plum sauce and crunching into it. 

“Once I got him to chill out, he told me that there were five men with transformative powers. It sounds like they were shifters to me, but I couldn’t say for sure.”

“If they were shifters, why was he so bothered by Bo?”

“I know, right? I’ve never met a human that could sniff out Fae, but as a result of his run-in with those shifters, he is able to do just that.”

“I need to talk to him.”

“No can do, Doc. Need I remind you that you don’t pass the human test anymore?”

“We don’t know how he’ll react to a toned down Fae pheromone. I have to try.”  
__


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Lauren found herself sitting in the Camaro in Darius Humbolt’s driveway by lunchtime.

She knocked on his door. No response. She knocked again. And when she was about to knock a third time the door cracked open and a voice said: “Go away.”

“Mr. Humbolt, I’m Dr. Lauren Lewis, I wondered if we could talk about your encounter a few months back?”

“You’re one of them.” He shook his head. “No, you’re a conspirator.” He inhaled and Lauren couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. “You lay with one,” he said. “Even now, you reek of the evil that binds you to her.”

“You presume a lot, Mr. Humbolt. How do you know my lover is female?”

“I smelled her perfume yesterday, too.” He looked around impatiently. “What do you want from me?”

“Just information.” She held up her hands. “We want to find these men.”

“No ma’am, I don’t think you do…”

Lauren felt his earnestness in her gut. Whatever had happened to him, it had affected him deeply. “Can I come in?”

He looked around outside before opening his door wide to the doctor. “Come in.”  
__

He was perceptive, disturbingly so, and Lauren tried to unravel the conundrum that was Darius Humbolt. He sat across from her chewing his cuticles. She could see the blood beginning to spread on his fingers and recognized it as a high anxiety behavior. She looked into his eyes, sunken from lack of sleep and she nearly cried for the pain she saw there. And yet, when she looked around his home she saw smiling pictures, sport fishing souvenirs and trophies, and numerous awards.

“What is your profession, Mr. Humbolt?” Lauren straightened the file on the Humbolt’s kitchen table.

“Call me Darius if you’re going to sit at my breakfast table.”

She nodded. What do you do for a living, Darius?”

“I’m a sommelier.” He fidgeted.

“And quite accomplished as well,” she said, looking at the awards on the wall. “How long have you been doing that?”

“Off and on for twenty years.” Humbolt sighed. “I was considered the best.”

“What happened?”

“Those demons almost devoured my soul.”

Lauren jotted something down on a legal pad. “Can you tell me about that night?”

“The restaurant closed late that night. I locked up and started to walk home.”

“How far away do you live from the restaurant?”

“A mile and a bit.”

“What happened?”

“Well, I was cutting through the old fair grounds parking lot when all the lights flickered and the whole block went dark. A van approached from the north entrance and pulled up alongside me. I knew I needed to make a move so I ran towards the park because I didn’t want to lead them to my home. I made it to the park entrance before they were upon me, knocking me down, snarling and tearing at my clothes. They were trying to subdue me, not kill me--of that I was sure. But I also sensed that if I didn’t get away my life was over just the same.”

It was obvious he‘d told this story a hundred times. “How did you get away?”

“Patrol drove by and saw the fight. By the time they were turning around, the demons were retreating.”

Lauren nodded. “That explains the police report.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Tell me when did your sense of smell evolve?”

“It’s weird. I have always had a remarkable palate but after my nose had inhaled their dusky scents everything was more vibrant.”

“Alive?”

“No, in fact the opposite. I could taste their fears, the hurt and regrets of the people walking down the street. I could even smell when death was coming.

Lauren sat up, interested in this development in a human. “Can you give me an example?”

He inhaled the air between them. “You drank a fine merlot yesterday in lieu of eating. And you made love to your lover of questionable repute.”

She tried a theory. “Darius, is death coming for me?”

He laughed awkwardly. “If you’re lucky.”

She knew he did not say it out of malice for her or even Bo, but his meaning was clear: Something terrible was coming her way.   
__

The brakes squeaked as she pulled into the laneway in front of the clubhouse. She set the emergency brake and stepped out onto the gravel driveway, slamming the door as delicately as she could and still manage to get the lock to catch. It was four in the afternoon and the sun was shining brightly over her shoulder. She turned, standing in the driveway, and watched the city from afar. Rush hour was just beginning and the interchanges were already crammed with cars. The water was calm and the breeze was the perfect relief from the heat.

She inhaled and hugged her sides. Hell was out there waiting for her somewhere and Lauren was not ready to face up to it. 

The front door slammed and Bo hopped down the stairs and wrapped her up from behind with her arms. “I thought I heard you out here,” she said against Lauren’s hair. “Did everything go okay?”

“Bo, Darius Humbolt experienced an attack unlike anything we have. His experience left him changed, an exaggerated version of himself.”

“So what’s his human superpower?”

He went from being able to smell an old tuna sandwich in someone’s bag on the train to telling if someone has cancer.” 

“Wow.”

“After they tried to tear him apart, he was able to identify Fae pheromones on his palate for protection.”

“The Fae giveth and they taketh away.” Bo turned Lauren in her arms. “Why do I feel like you aren’t telling me the whole story…?”

“We’re working the same case.”

“What?”

“They are coming for me, too.”  
__

Bo stepped lively down the stairs onto the main floor and fished a pint of ice cream out of the freezer before settling into the couch with a spoon. She picked up the remote and started channel surfing.

“Not going out tonight, Bo-Bo?”

“Too dangerous,” Bo grunted as she scooped another spoonful of triple fudgey explosion into her mouth.

“Where’s Lo?” Kenzi looked around.

“She’s upstairs re-reading those case files.”

“Friday night and the Doc’s all right.”

“Don’t start, Kenz.”

“What? It’s not like she’s been distant and uppity since this whole hybrid thing came up. Oh wait, yes she has.”

“You know that’s not fair.”

“I just don’t know how she ended up with awesome Fae powers and I’m still one hundred percent human.”

“It was an accident.”

“If you say so Succy-face.”  
__

Lauren spread the case files across the bed in front of her, preparing to read them for the third time in two hours when she heard Bo on the stairs. She sat back and sighed. 

“Any revelations?” Bo asked, peeking her head around the corner.

“Nothing yet.” She patted the only clear spot on the bed. “Sit with me.”

Bo smiled brightly and crawled onto the bed beside Lauren. She leaned back against the headboard. “Nice system you got here.” Bo scanned the papers strewn across the bed. How Lauren could make heads or tails from it was beyond her.

Lauren laughed. “It’s a work in progress.” She made a noise. “I’m just not seeing it.” Lauren rested her head on Bo’s shoulder.

“It’s early.” She patted Lauren’s thigh. “Come on, let’s take the night off.”

“I can’t. If it is these ancient Fae that are coming for me, I have to get the upper hand.”

Bo got to her knees and covered her hand. “You can take two hours to spend with Kenzi and me.”

“Bo, I can’t.”

She dropped back down and sighed. “If you won’t watch terrible movies, eat ice cream, and drink liquor at least let us help.”

“You’re not going out tonight?”

“I’m not going out until we get this thing under control.”

“Bo…”

She shook her head. “We’re a team.” Lauren looked away, Bo had never admitted that her one woman show needed a healer until that moment despite how obvious the need was to Lauren. “Okay, let’s start with professions,” Bo said straightening the piles of papers. 

“An entertainment lawyer, an art historian, a professor of economics, a climate change scientist, an architect, an athlete, and three doctors,” she rattled off the list of professions like she had considered them before.

“Kind of all over the board.” Bo smiled sheepishly. “Did any of the victims run in the same circles?”

“Not that I can tell. The doctors came from different hospitals with different specialties.” She tapped her finger on a stack of paper.

“What about Humbolt? He was a waiter or something--maybe that‘s why he survived.”

“He’s a sommelier.” Bo looked at her blankly. “A wine expert.” Bo nodded along. “There was one thing I noticed at Humbolt’s. He was highly regarded in his field and was recognized for his contributions.”

“Are you thinking we have a pack of over-achievers on this list?”

“Of course, it’s the only thing that makes sense. These humans were hand-picked to feed very important Fae.”

“What if they have been looking for the hybrid for hundreds of years and it evolved into a sort of cult? They know the hybrid is going to be successful in their field so they only hunt flourishing humans.” Lauren went through each file to see if there was an anomaly but sure enough, they all fit her new profile. “And that’s how they’ll find me.”

“Do you think Trick knows who these Fae are?”

“Are there Fae that Trick doesn’t know?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Lauren began to replace papers and files as Bo leaned into her, inhaling the scent of her skin against her pulse point.

“We’re not going tonight.”

“Bo, we have to--”

Bo gripped her shoulders. “I get it, I do. But it’s too dangerous. We are in a secured building, it’s dark out--we should stay here.”

“We’re running out of time,” she said insistently. 

“How do you know that?”

“Because if Trick heard about my Fae, who knows who else did, too.”

“I’ll protect you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Bo kissed her firmly. “Let me protect you.”

Lauren’s hand came to rest on Bo’s cheek. Her face was hot and her eyes sparkled with unspoken need. She kissed Bo tenderly but did not pull away when they separated. “Just hold me,” she whispered against Bo’s lips and before Lauren could kiss her again, Bo’s arms were squeezing her closer. 

Bo sunk back against the headboard, pulling Lauren along with her. She straddled Bo’s legs, her head on Bo’s shoulder, her breath was against Bo’s neck, and her heartbeat ringing in Bo’s head. They were close as they’d ever been. She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m scared.” She exhaled a shuddery breath.

“I know,” Bo whispered into her hair.

“You’re not going to tell me it’s going to be all right?”

“Would you believe me?”

“Probably not.”

“Look Lauren,” she pulled back to face her. “I don’t know what’s going to happen any more than you do, but I have to believe we’re gonna be okay.”

“Really?”

“Uh, yeah,” she said with a smile. “Now…” She moved a strand of Lauren’s hair aside. “Are you gonna come downstairs for girl’s night or what?”

Lauren searched Bo’s face. “We’ll go to see Trick in the morning?”

“First thing, promise.” Her smile was every reassurance Lauren needed.  
__

“They’re coming to get you, Barbra…” a voice came from the television.

Lauren looked up from the pile of files that had made their way downstairs along with the women.

“Maybe we should watch something else,” Bo said protectively.

“Come oooooon,” Kenzi defended. “You guys have been upstairs canoodling all night and now you don’t even want to watch “Night of the Living Dead?”

“We were not canoodling,” Bo corrected.

Kenzi held up a hand. “Save it for the Time Life albums you’re going to buy and blame on me later.”

“Hey! Don’t you try to blame that on me again!” Bo swatted at Kenzi.

“Okay, Succubus, who else would order Time Life’s collection of love songs?”

“I don’t know, Lauren, maybe?”

Lauren lifted her head from the file she was perusing. “Don’t throw me under the bus.” 

“See, the Doc doesn’t even want to be on the hook for those.” Kenzi pointed at the box of cds on the table in the kitchen. 

“Though I do want to know why my credit card was used.”

“That’s easy, Doc,” Kenzi started. “You’re the only one that pays your bills.”

“Ah, the simplest explanation is correct. Ockham’s razor wins again.”

“I dunno who Ockham is but will you pick up some refills for my Venus the next time you go shopping?”

Bo stood and crossed to the refrigerator. Peering inside, she pulled three bottles of beer from the otherwise empty unit and returned to the couch with a bottle opener. She popped the cap off each bottle before distributing them, taking a long sip from her beer before sitting down beside Lauren again. She covered Lauren’s thigh with her other hand.

The zombies were in pursuit of the couple on the television now as they made it to an old farm house. A classic zombie trope because of the very movie they were watching. 

Bo sunk into the couch, stretching her legs out to rest on the coffee table. Tossing the last of the files onto the pile, Lauren leaned into Bo‘s side, taking a long drink of her beer. Things were just starting to get back to normal and if this was what passed for normal this time around, Lauren was happy with the way things were working out.

The phone rang and Bo scooped the receiver from the coffee table. “Hello?”

“Is Dr. Lewis there?” His voice was low and gravelly.

“Who’s calling?” Bo growled.

“Fae’s fury.” The voice began to laugh and then the line went dead.

Bo squeezed the receiver and smashed the button. “Asshole.”

“Who was it?”

“Nobody.”

Lauren studied Bo’s profile as she chewed her lip after she had lied to her. When Bo lifted her head, their eyes met and she couldn’t hide the truth. Bo was scared, too.

The alarm began to sound and Lauren leapt to her feet and headed for the cage with the computer. Bo raised a katana from the coffee table and stood at the ready. Kenzi jumped to her feet. “Shizz, you guys! It’s just the pizza guy.”

Lauren looked down at the camera array and sure enough there was a teenager with an extra large pizza getting ready to knock on the door. His fist hit the wood and the door rattled. 

“I’ll get it!” Kenzi said in a sing song voice, snatching a twenty dollar bill from the counter and sashaying to the front door. She traded the money for the pizza and strutted back into the living room.

“What are you doing about the feeding, by the way? The delivery boys are starting to look a little dejected.”

“We wouldn’t want that,” Lauren said under her breath.

“I’m just saying, maybe you should put out a memo or something so they stop showing up with breath freshener and boyish grins.”

“I didn’t know we had cultivated a relationship.” Bo swallowed another mouthful of beer.

“Or you could just let Lauren scare the bejeezus out of them.”

Bo laughed. “Yeah, right.”

“She could be scary,” Kenzi insisted. “Couldn’t you, Doc?”

Bo looked at Lauren skeptically. “Sure,” she smiled. “I’ll just explain what a castrato is, that should make my position on delivery boys clear.”

Kenzi covered her mouth in mock horror. “Damn!” She exclaimed. “A little pent up aggression, Lo?”

Truth be told, Bo didn’t miss the delivery boys, not one bit. Inexperienced hands, needed guiding and Bo only wanted to feel pleasure and recharge when she was wounded, not teach the youngsters how to handle the merchandise. And now with Lauren everything had changed. Once a Human, Bo would never dream of taking her chi from, now a Human-Fae hybrid, Lauren was able to heal her with her hand so they kept sex for pleasure with the rare occasion that they would go all in. And when they did, Bo had everything she could ever desire.

The movie’s music was reaching a crescendo and the dramatic finale was approaching. Lauren regarded the film for a moment before turning to Bo. “I think I’m going to turn in.” She smiled and Kenzi rolled her eyes. She knew that Bo and Lauren’s evening was just beginning and she was going to hear it all.

Bo stood, watching Lauren walk away, following the swing of her hips as she climbed the stairs out of sight. “You gonna be all right if I head up to bed?”

“Do your worst,” she said with a wave of her hand.

“Thanks.” Bo smiled and set her half empty beer bottle on the side table. “See you in the morning, short stack.”

It would have betrayed her cool to run up the stairs and into her bedroom, so Bo calmly climbed the stairs and restrained the quickness of her feet as she entered the bedroom. Lauren was sitting on the bed in Bo’s red kimono, candles smoldering on the bureau and nightstands. Bo raised her eyebrows. “Dr. Lewis,” she said approaching her. Lauren stood and bridged the distance between the women, her arms snaking around Bo’s neck. She reached out for Lauren’s waist and leaned in to kiss her when Lauren took a step back. Bo straightened. “What’s wrong?” She asked. “Is this about the delivery boys?”

“Yes.” She shook her head. “No.”

“Is that your final answer?” Bo smiled.

She smirked. “I don’t know what I need anymore…”

“Why don’t you just leave that to me, then?”

There were few things that compared to Bo’s arms wrapped tightly around Lauren’s body but right then she couldn’t remember anything that even came close. Bo inhaled her and gathered her into her embrace. Closer, always closer. Lauren hid her face in Bo’s neck as if she could disappear there. Bo’s hips swayed and Lauren was caught in her dance--an ethereal twist of fates. She smiled and all rational thought ceased to be. Loving a succubus was a contradiction in terms. Life was sexy, that one thing was certain, but with the sex came surprises like tenderness and a level of understanding that made Lauren take notice. The business of a succubus is reading people and while Bo could be obtuse sometimes, there were times like now when she was able to discern the one thing that Lauren needed--and it was Bo.

The music in Bo’s head served as the soundtrack to their dance, an empowering yet comforting display of affection between the two women. Lauren kept time with her hand over Bo’s heart and soon the worried expression Lauren had been wearing like a uniform since the whole case started, faded into a contented smile. Bo could hold a life in the palm of her hands and tonight she had righted Lauren’s with a simple dance.

When Bo released her she crawled onto the bed and Bo bounced on the mattress beside her before groping underneath the bed until her hand connected with a bottle of whiskey. She sat up and opened the screw top cap. Taking a long drink from the bottle, Bo smiled at her and silently passed the liquor across the bed. Lauren, who looked far less natural than Bo drinking from the bottle, took a short swig of whiskey, making a face as she swallowed. She sat up against the headboard and took another drink from the bottle before passing it back to Bo. 

“Why did you lie to me earlier?” Lauren asked to the balled up sheet in her lap.

Bo took another swig from the bottle and set it on the beside table. “I didn’t want to upset you.”

“It’s damned upsetting knowing that they’ve found me, but Bo, it’s more upsetting knowing that they are going to take me away from you.”

Bo shook her head. “Don’t say that.”

“Isn’t it inevitable at this stage?”

“I can protect you,” she said chivalrously. 

Lauren smiled and covered her hand. “Bo…”

Bo frowned and shook her head. “No.”

“We should have a contingency plan.”

Bo didn’t have to deal with not being enough very often, so when she was confronted with not being enough to potentially save Lauren, Bo met this idea stubbornly. She stood and picked her kimono from the floor before slipping into it. “How’s this? Someone takes you and I track their asses down and bring hell until they give you back.” She cinched the belt around her waist. 

Lauren smirked. “They already have the edge. They know who I am, and where I am and I only know what they plan to do with me. If I can just figure out who they are then maybe I can figure out where they mean to take me.”

Bo sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand on Lauren‘s leg. “I appreciate that you are trying to control a situation that is out of control, but you can‘t control everything.”

She inhaled. “I just think we should be prepared.”

Bo lifted her chin. “I have never been more prepared to fight for anything in my whole life.”  
__

End Pt 2


	3. Chapter 3

The sun rose as it always did the very next day and life resumed its complicated waltz. And as she had promised, Bo drove to the Dal bright and early, though much brighter and much earlier than Kenzi or Bo had hoped and Lauren’s quiet contemplation was becoming unnerving.

“Hey,” Bo’s voice was hushed, her hand slipped onto Lauren’s knee. “If Trick knows something, I’ll get it out of him.”

Lauren smiled and turned to face out the window, still lost in thought. It wasn’t long before they were pulling into the alley and parking behind the dumpster.

Kenzi climbed out of the back seat after Lauren and immediately covered her nose. “Good god, man! Something smells like it died in there.” She peered into the dumpster.

“Yeah, it’s like there is garbage in there or something,” Bo said, pushing Kenzi and Lauren toward the Dal’s side door.

“Ladies, please come in!” Trick greeted the women with an excessive amount of cheer. The day was early, was the only reason Bo could think of.

“What can I get for you?” Trick asked as the women took seats at the bar.

“I thought you couldn’t serve the booze before eleven?” Kenzi asked, picking at the bar garnishes. She popped a maraschino cherry into her mouth and smiled.

Trick looked at the broken clock on the wall that proudly displayed the time eleven-oh-one. “Looks like it’s eleven to me,” he said. 

“I’m sure you know why we are here, Trick.” Bo played the subtly card. You catch more flies with honey, Dennis.

“I have an idea,” he said, cagey.

“I need to know more about the these Fae that mean us harm,” Bo piped up.

“I told Lauren everything I‘m able.”

“I know there‘s more,” Lauren pushed.

“Lauren, what you did--becoming the hybrid--has unfortunately put you in a very dire position but I cannot go against five hundred years of tradition.”

“Tradition? That‘s rich. It seems to me the Fae use tradition as an excuse for barbarism whenever they get the chance.”

Bo stepped up between them. “Hey, everybody, let’s just take a breather, cool down and try again in a minute.”

“I’m sorry, Bo, my answer will not change.”

“They want to hurt her and all you can do is shrug and say that’s what you get? After everything she’s done for you? She saved your life again, Trick. She didn’t have to, but she did it anyway, think about that when your human-eating Fae friends decide to come for Lauren.”

“The hybrid is a mystical being that has been hunted for centuries. It is not for me to tell them to stop now that they’ve found her.”

“It’s Lauren!” Bo was reaching her limit and Lauren recognized it as she put a hand on Bo’s arm.

Kenzi pushed the pint away from her. “This is so depressing that I can’t even drink this beer,” she moaned. 

“And these Fae Elders are ancients. They are calling the shots on both sides without anyone outside the inner circle realizing it.”

“So you’re under their thumb, too.”

“Bo…” Trick said.

“The least you can do is tell me what we’re dealing with.” Bo crossed her arms.

He sighed. “The Hybrid and the Weapon are foretold as a pair as ancient as the Fae. The hybrid’s power is unclear but the Weapon is feared as relentless and rash. Sound familiar?”

“So who is after us?”

“There are five Fae in the Quinary as the name suggests: The Doorman, The Sandman, The Wolf, The Shadowman, and The Ogre King. The Wolf has an elite guard of shifters that are sent to acquire the targets the group decides upon.”

“Where do I find the Five Assholes?”

“I’m sorry, I’ve already said too much.” Trick said quietly.

“I will protect her. And you should tell your friends that they’ve never met a Fae like me.” Bo turned from the Blood King and led Kenzi and Lauren back out the way they came. “Why does he have to be so stubborn?”

“He’s had a thousand years to get set in his ways,” Lauren said, familiar with her Light Fae captors own idiosyncratic rule.

“Well, look out grandpappy, Bo’s about to rewrite history.”  
__

“Who knew Gramps could be such a stick in the mud?” Kenzi said before slurping on a strawberry milkshake. “What are you going to do now, Doc?”

“We are going back to the drawing board. We’re three intelligent women--we can figure this out,” Bo said enthusiastically. Lauren smiled plaintively. She knew Bo meant well but she wondered how long they could avoid the inevitable chasing them down, one hour at a time. She stared at the turkey sandwich in front of her as Bo picked at the French fries on Lauren’s plate, ignoring her own salad. “I’ll call Dyson, get him to stake out the block so we can get a good night’s sleep.”

Lauren started to ask if that was really necessary but she knew that it was. Involving Dyson was always a worst-case scenario move for Lauren but this time, she realized his help was probably best sooner rather than later. She nodded, still stuck in her own head.

“Lauren, we’ve got this. Nobody is going to let anything happen to you.” Bo was confident.

She smiled unconvincingly; she couldn’t even muster a smirk for the situation that she found herself in now. Lauren nodded again. “Please,” she said. “Don’t blame yourself if something goes wrong.”

“Ye of little faith, Doc,” Kenzi interjected. “Rejoice! The dream team is on the case.”

Lauren chuckled. “I appreciate that, but--”

“But nothing!” Kenzi gestured. “Bo-Bo is cray cray about you and to be honest she would never shut up about it if we let anything happen to you, so you‘re stuck with us.”

“Of reasons to save my life that ranks among my favorite,” Lauren said.

Bo put her arm around Lauren. “Mine, too.”  
__

Arriving home, Lauren retreated to the bedroom immediately, leaving Kenzi and Bo in the kitchen staring questioningly at each other. “Is it something I said?” Kenzi asked.

“She probably just needed some space. I should go check on her.”

“Yeah, you should go check on her.” Kenzi groused, but Bo was already halfway up the stairs.

Bo swung around the corner, gripping the doorframe and found her sitting on the bed. “Is everything okay?”

Lauren looked up at her. “I want you to use your thrall on me.”

Bo took a few steps forward but stopped short of the blonde. “Lauren…”

“I want to be overwhelmed by you. I want to forget the crank calls and false alarms, Trick or the Fae who mean to feed on me for all eternity. I want you, Bo. Please, take it all away.”

Bo stepped forward and kissed her hard, all doubt out the window. Lauren’s hands shot into her hair, holding her mouth against her own. The artful way her lips moved against Bo’s left her wanting more but she pulled away and touched Lauren’s face with her glowing hand, trailing it down her neck to her chest. 

A tidal wave of warmth enveloped Lauren. Bo’s thrall was far more powerful than it had been the first time Bo had experimented with her at the Dal and she was putty in Bo’s hands, unable to think beyond the warm glow in her chest that she could swear set her heart afire. Her need ratcheted up another ten notches as she reached for Bo again. 

She cradled Bo’s head as she moved along her collarbone to her neck. Lauren’s need coursed through her veins and pounded in her ears. Bo worked quickly tonight, undressing herself as she kissed Lauren with an unmatched fervor. When she had stepped from the last article of clothing, her hands reached for the sash that tied the kimono snugly around Lauren’s waist and freed the knot. She opened the robe slowly, revealing the doctor’s gift as she pushed the kimono from her shoulders.

Amidst the shadows and candles. Bo’s hand glowed again and Lauren felt the hit immediately in her core. Bo knelt between her legs and tasted her like it was the first time again. Lauren sucked in a shaky breath as Bo’s mouth explored her. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced. The glow pulsing through her veins, connecting her with Bo as she became intimately invested in each of her movements. Lauren groped at her pillow behind her head as Bo lifted her hips off the bed and rededicated herself to Lauren’s pleasure.

Her hands tore at the sheets, she leaned up on her elbows as Bo captivated her, bringing about Lauren’s release quickly. There was nothing Bo couldn’t do with a little motivation, and Lauren supplicant beneath her was just what the succubus ordered. Bo lifted one of Lauren’s legs and caressed its length as she draped it over her shoulder before sinking between her thighs again. 

Bo’s hips ground down into the mattress as she continued to tease her. Lauren could see Bo’s eyes shimmering in the darkness of the room and she knew that the need she felt was only a fraction of what Bo was feeling but she continued to touch her reverently, slowly, enjoying the every hiccup in her voice and revolution of her hips. For what felt like the thousandth time, Bo unfettered the barriers holding Lauren back and released her.

She gasped for breath, beside herself with the glow of her own blood. The thrall was still affecting her thoughts, though she would find it hard to believe that she could think of anything except Bo after all that had just occurred. Bo inched up her body and propped herself up on an elbow to watch the sweat evaporate from Lauren’s body. She ran a hand from Lauren’s neck to her navel and then to the apex of her legs, covering her with a hand. The soft orange glow that enveloped her again made Lauren suck in another breath. There was no thought of protest whether that be from the strength of her thrall or for the simple reason that this was exactly what she had asked for.

Bo’s hand started to move then and a smile spread across Lauren’s face. Bo watched her face change with each movement of her hand and when Lauren opened her eyes again, she met Bo’s hungry gaze with one of her own. She teased and tantalized her, slowly, effortlessly. And when Lauren felt like she couldn’t take it anymore, Bo pushed into her. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Bo’s sparkling blue eyes and then her cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. She pushed her head back into the pillow, grinning as Bo warmed her through.

The thrall was unique to succubae and Bo’s had been developing since puberty. Potency-wise, her thrall was in its infancy the last time Lauren had endeavored to try it. She remembered feeling sexually satisfied by it when she pulled away, but there was nothing that could have prepared her for how she felt right now. As promised, Bo overwhelmed her chakras with her thrall, and instead of feeling sated, Lauren felt impossibly addicted, her need for Bo reaching a critical level. She was so hungry for her and she couldn’t help but wonder if this was how it felt for Bo, too.

Her pace quickened and Lauren was lost to the oblivion she felt in the pit of her stomach, in the pulse raging in her ears, and the one repeating thought left in her brain: “Bo.”

Unable to resist the lure of Lauren any longer, Bo crawled over her, kissing her deeply. Lauren’s arms were around her almost immediately, fingers squeezing her back desperately.

“Bo,” her voice was a chorus of highs and lows and one small name held the promise of release. Her hips began to undulate, rocking against Lauren’s thigh as she continued to stroke her. They were locked together in ecstasy, skin pressed so tight against each other that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Heaving breaths and hunger drove her further into Lauren, who held Bo’s face and kissed her again.

The headboard began to bang against the wall as Bo switched into another mode. She reared back, bracing herself with one hand on Lauren’s stomach and moved her hips with an unequaled acumen. Lauren’s eyes began to close, her own release pulling her down as Bo rose above her with a look of sheer determination and drive. Her hand was a blur, her hips jerking irregularly now and soon Lauren focused on the beautiful body hovering over her as a jolt ran through her own body. 

Lauren was paralyzed. This time there was no thrall, just Bo, above her, grinding against her thigh and she was unable to look away. The long-awaited pleasure written on Bo’s face, the curves of her body working toward their own goal now. Lauren kissed her with a fierceness she had never allowed herself to tap into before and she was overwhelmed again by Bo’s beauty, her hungry stare, and the emotion that pulled at her like the strings on a marionette. When Bo finally let go, Lauren was enraptured, everything from the expression on her face to the tensing muscles in her body said that it would get no better than this. They were locked together body and soul.

Bo crumpled on top of Lauren, who held her as she quietly returned to conscious thought. She inhaled deeply as her lips found Lauren’s throat again, before falling away from Lauren, rolling onto her back beside her. Neither spoke and there was an understanding that when they did the spell she had put on Lauren would be chased away. 

Lauren exhaled and smiled at the ceiling, body cooling. Bo rolled onto her side and looked over the landscape of her body. The love shining in her brown eyes left her breathless. A promise held between her teeth, Bo whispered into Lauren’s ear.  
__

She heard their hushed voices from the top of the stairs. Bo tip-toed down the stairs to discover Dyson standing in her kitchen drinking what could only be one of her beers. Kenzi was enamored with the wolf, as she always was, and pushed at his shoulder playfully as they talked. Bo tightened the kimono around her waist, placing her hands on their backs, she spoke: “I hope you‘re not on your own…”

“Tamsin is up the block,” he said.

“Well, if Tamsin is out there…” She said facetiously as she opened the refrigerator and closed it quickly. “Is that the last beer.”

“Stake outs are thirsty work,” Kenzi interjected nervously, wringing her hands.

“Good, then you can drink my beer in your car, detective.”

“Having an open container of liquor in a vehicle is against the law.” Dyson smiled.

“Good thing you’re a cop, then,” Bo said, turning towards the couch.

“C’mon Bo,” Kenzi said. “I never get to see D-man anymore now that you and Hotpants play doctor all the time.”

“Kenzi, this is about Lauren.”

“Isn’t everything, though?”

Dyson held up his hands. “It’s okay, I was just finishing up.” He drained the longneck and set it on the table. “Thank you for your hospitality,” he said as he bowed out of their circle and walked toward the front door.

“Dyson,” Bo said. “Thanks,“ she said when he stopped and turned to look at her.

He nodded at Bo and then he was gone, the outer door banging as he walked away from the clubhouse.

“Okay, what was that all about? You invite Dyson out here to do you a favor and then you treat him like a misbehaving family pooch?”

“He‘s here to work.”

“So tell me, did you and Doc have a meeting of the minds, or what?”

“Kenzi…”

“Because I thought I heard an explosion…”

“Look, Kenz, I know having Lauren around isn’t always the easiest thing for you, but Dyson and me are over.”

“I know that,” Kenzi said defensively. 

“Then why am I always having to pull you two apart?”

“I like the guy, maybe it’s his character flaws, maybe it’s his wolfy growl, whatever the case may be, he’s my friend and that’s not going to change no matter how long you bang the good doctor for.”

“Nobody’s asking you to cut him out of your life--just respect when he is doing something for me--”

“Yeah, why is that? Why do you get to use Dyson’s love against him on such a regular basis that even I forget that you aren’t dating anymore?”

Bo stood and walked to the landing, hand on the railing, she looked back at her. “Goodnight, Kenz.”

“Sleep tight Bo-Bo, your wolf-in-shining-armor is guarding the henhouse.”

“You need to work on your analogies.”

“Yeah well, you need to work on your people skills.”

“Get some sleep Kenzi.”

She knew that it was late and that it brought about the worst in her mood but she also knew there was truth in her words and though she couldn’t admit that to Kenzi, she admitted it to herself. She did use Dyson more often than she should, she did exclude Kenzi a lot when she was with Lauren but that was just by necessity. Bo was often indisposed with Lauren and there was simply no room for Kenzi in the very dirty equation they were trying to solve.

Bo climbed the stairs slowly that night, feeling the distance from Kenzi acutely all the while feeling hopeless about Lauren and the case they found themselves in. The top step creaked and Bo looked at the ceiling, silently cursing the step that always creaked. No matter how many times it had spoiled an entrance, Bo still refused to get it fixed because one day, she was certain it would save her life. But tonight, tonight she rounded the corner to find Lauren sitting up in bed, alert to her presence.

“Stealth is not a strong suit of yours.”

Bo smiled. “Damn stair.” She took a step forward. “Are you still reading those case files? You’ll give yourself nightmares.”

“Ha ha.”

Bo sashayed across the floor to stand beside the bed. “Why don’t you put those away.” She unfastened the belt on her kimono and let it fall open slightly. Lauren set the file in her lap, looking Bo up and down. “Now that I have your attention.” She shrugged the robe from her shoulders and stood before her lover. With a swipe of her arm, Bo had dumped the stack of files onto the floor. She snatched the lone file in Lauren’s possession and tossed it onto the pile. “Oh, hush,” Bo quieted her before she could protest. “I’ll help you clean it up in the morning.”

She climbed onto Lauren’s lap, threading her fingers through her blonde hair as she kissed her neck. 

“Bo,” she said quietly.

“Hmm?” She lifted her head and kissed along Lauren’s jaw line to her mouth.

“Bo,” her voice was more forceful.

“What?” She asked, more than slightly annoyed. 

“Is Dyson here?”

“Yeah, he’s parked our front. Tamsin is up the block.” She shook her head and smiled. “We’re covered.” 

“Safe?”

“Safe.” She nodded. “Wow, you know, that’s the first time you’ve brought Dyson into our bedroom.”

Lauren smirked. “And yet, I’m fairly confident that it will be the last.”

Bo shivered. “Doctor, I seem to be in need of a little body heat. Do you think you can help me with that?”

Lauren kissed her with feeling and when she pulled away it was Bo’s turn to be left wanting for more. “How do you do that?” She asked.

“What?”

Bo sank back to her heels and touched her lips with her hand. “How can you kiss me like that and leave me all out of sorts?” Bo’s voice shook and Lauren smiled shyly, her downcast eyes unable to evade Bo’s gaze for long. “Lauren, I love you,” the half-laugh, half-sigh that came from her throat startled her. “And I don’t say that enough. But we both know we are facing some serious shit and I don’t want you to have any doubts about how I feel about you.”

The succubus was bared literally and figuratively in front of Lauren. She didn’t even try to conceal her nakedness, instead reaching out to hold Lauren’s hand as she tried to speak. “Bo…” Lauren struggled with the words she so desperately needed to say. “You have shown me that everything I thought about love was wrong. And you have given me so much to look forward to every day that we are together. And even now, as much as I dread the thought of facing up to tomorrow, I can’t wait to see how we’ll get through it together.” 

Lauren squeezed Bo’s hand, before tugging her forward. Quickly, Bo braced herself on the headboard above Lauren, whose hand found the back of her neck and pulled her down to her lips. If the last kiss had given Bo pause, this kiss destroyed every intention she ever had that didn’t involve kissing Lauren. She tore down every brick in the armory of her heart and built a cathedral in its place. And with a pounding heart, she accepted that it was for Lauren that it kept beating. Her name was a whisper in Bo’s ear, an inscription on her heart and the throbbing rush of blood to her head.

Bo exhaled. “What was that?”

“You looked cold.” Lauren said with a smile. 

“I’m freezing.” Bo chewed her lip. 

She moved Bo’s hair aside. “I may know a remedy…” Lauren teased.

Bo laughed. “Do tell, Doctor.”

“I can only show you, I’m afraid.”

Her eyes sparkled blue. “Show me.” Lauren leaned up and turned Bo onto her back, pushing the sheet between them away. Hot skin pressed against cooler skin and Bo sighed. She nudged Bo’s legs apart and settled between them, rolling her hips and grinding against her. “Mmm.”

“Warm enough?” Lauren asked.

“Getting warmer.” Bo grinned.

Lauren slipped a hand between their bodies. A moment later, Bo bit her lip and pressed her head back into the pillow. “How about now?”

“You tell me.” Bo grinned again and captured Lauren‘s lips.  
__  
End pt 3


	4. Chapter 4

“I must be missing something obvious,” Lauren said, letting the file drop into her lap.

“You really should give that a break and come play with us.“ Bo tossed a ping pong ball in Kenzi’s direction. It landed in a half empty cup of beer with a soft sploosh.

Kenzi made a noise. “Since when did the succubus get so good at beer pong?” Steadying her aim, Kenzi threw another ball at the row of cups in front of Bo, who watched it ricochet off a rim and bounce away.

“I dunno, when did the biggest beer pong con lose her mojo?” Bo grinned as Kenzi downed yet another beer.

Lauren stood, walking to Bo’s side she lifted a cup of beer to her lips and drank from it. “I really wish you two would get a hobby.”

“Like what? Bee husbandry, the literature of Jane Austen, or maybe WWE Raw?”

“I don’t have a clue what WWE Raw is so I can’t speak to that but--”

Bo laughed. “It’s professional wrestling.”

“I see.” She nodded. “I must admit I find that sort of thing troubling on many levels but if that’s your thing… at least it’s a break from drinking.”

“Actually, there’s this drinking game…” Kenzi piped up.

Lauren held up a hand and nodded. “I get the picture.” She set the cup in her hands down, suddenly disinterested in her beer.

Bo wandered into Lauren’s work zone, a disaster area of maps, police reports, and a list of the city’s businesses. “Whatcha working on?”

Lauren looked relieved not to have been asked to play their game and walked back to the couch where Bo stood, holding her map. “I triangulated the locations of the abductions to minimize the search area. These five businesses are at the center of all of the human disappearances.”

“Wow, you’ve been busy.” Bo looked impressed and Lauren smiled. “Guess we better get out there.”

“Thank God,” Kenzi groaned. “I don’t know how much longer I can stay cooped up with you broads. Fresh air, here I come!” She marched out the front door.

“I’ll get my things.” Lauren wiped imaginary dust from the palms of her hands onto her jeans. 

As she turned to climb the stairs, Bo’s hand wrapped around her wrist. “Lauren, wait.”

“What is it?”

“I just want you to be prepared for the possibility that we may not find anything.”

Lauren chuckled. “I know how it goes, Bo.”

Bo swayed. “You’ve just been working so hard…”

Lauren’s hands came to rest over Bo’s chest. “I will be okay with whatever we find or don’t find.”

“You’re sure?”

“Your concern is touching, but I know the process is more hit or miss than that.”

The front door slammed and Kenzi’s clunky boots announced her presence once again. “What gives?” She held her arms aloft. “Are you two going to hang around here making goo-goo eyes at each other all day, or are we going to kick some hungry, hungry Fae ass?”

Lauren pointed upstairs. “I’ll just get my things.”  
__

The top was down, wind in their hair and a devil may care attitude pervaded the women. It didn’t matter that a pack of cannibalistic Fae were after Lauren, not then with the cool breeze on her face, Bo’s smile as airy and carefree as a summer’s day, and Kenzi’s good humor making them laugh. 

The first two locations were a bust, the tanning salon they were about to enter didn’t look much better. Lauren checked her list, a restaurant that didn’t open until dinner service and a vintage vintner that was closed for lunch. The salon was a bust and sitting in the parking lot, sun on their faces, they waited for the wine reseller to reopen.

“Hey, we should totally buy some wine if this guy ever comes back from his lunch break.”

“I don’t think they sell wine in a box, Kenzi,” Lauren said seriously.

“Oh, ha ha, a real comedian. One time. I bought boxed wine one time and you’re still giving me grief. What about the Bud Light incident?”

“Incident?” Lauren laughed. “I would hardly call it an incident. Besides, what’s wrong with Bud Light?” Lauren asked defensively.

“Everyone knows you bring Heineken to a booty call.” Kenzi sat back looking self-satisfied.

Bo laughed, pointing at Kenzi. “Sorry, but she makes a good point.” Bo’s eyes scanned the storefront, the OUT TO LUNCH sign was gone and in its place was an OPEN sign. “Looks like we’re up.”

“Praise Elvis!” Kenzi exclaimed and hopped over the side of the car. They walked across the parking lot like women on a mission, strong and proud, a force to be reckoned with. Bo pulled back the door and bells jingled announcing their presence.

A tall, slight man emerged from the back, wringing his hands and smiling. “Can I help you folks find something?”

Lauren stepped forward. “Do you know this man?” She asked, holding up a picture of Darius Humboldt.

“Yes, ah, he came in some months ago looking for a job. I didn’t have anything at the time but a few months ago when Tom left I found his resume and called him up but before I could ask him if he was interested, he hung up on me.”

“That’s a fine how-do-ya-do,” Bo chimed in.

“You’re telling me.”

“Is there anyone else you can think of that seems suspicious in retrospect?” Lauren questioned.

“No miss, I’m sorry, I don’t have any information for you.”

“If you think of anything, please don’t hesitate to call.” Lauren offered him a business card smoothly. He smiled at them as he nodded earnestly. 

When they were outside, Bo spun around. “What was that in there?”

“What was what?”

“The card thing. That was smooth Dr. Lewis.”

She grinned. “It was, wasn’t it?”

“Can I see the card?”

Lauren reached into her jacket pocket and withdrew a card for Bo, coolly slipping it into her palm with a practiced ease.

Bo studied the business card. “Wow, this is profesh, did you do all this?”

She nodded. “I’ve had some extra time on my hands lately so I thought…”

“No, it’s great. Thank you.”

“What now?” Kenzi leaned against the storefront, arms crossed, sunglasses pulled down to the tip of her nose.

Bo checked her phone. “Café de Paris doesn’t open for another hour.” Kenzi made a noise. 

“Let’s head home,” Lauren said. “We can always come back tomorrow. No use wasting a perfectly nice day sitting in a parking lot.”

“Great,” Kenzi said, snatching the keys from Bo’s hands. “I’m driving.” Bo smiled at the blonde, who inhaled the warm spring air. “All right Cagney and Lacey, let’s go, let’s go,” she urged.  
__

They settled into a holding pattern. Lauren obsessively reviewing the files while Bo pretended there was nothing to be done and Kenzi, well, Kenzi drank. What it all amounted to was biding their time until something happened.

Bo scooted up close to the doctor and nestled into the cushions behind her. “What are you on to now?”

“This whole notion of solstice killings. It doesn’t make sense. I’m sure it’s based on an ancient Fae calendar. I read about them in one of Trick’s books before…”

“Don’t think we’ll be getting access to that anytime soon.” A hollow laugh escaped Bo.

“No, I suppose you’re right. What does he gain by protecting them?”

“He’s hiding from his real identity. The minute the Fae catch wind that he‘s the Blood King, he‘ll have to abandon the Dal and move to another colony that doesn‘t know his secret.”

“But once it’s out it will follow him forever.”

“Exactly. I’m hoping he’ll come around for this simple fact.”

Lauren rifled through the stack of files on her lap. She stood abruptly and headed for the door. Bo was on her feet immediately. “Where are you going?”

“The Humboldt file, I think I left it in the car.”

“I’ll get it,” Bo volunteered.

“Bo, it’s four o’clock in the afternoon. The sun is shining, Dyson and Tamsin are practically parked on the lawn--I’ll be fine.”

Bo rocked back on her heels, indecision still playing with her. She shrugged and exhaled. “If you think it’s safe.”

“I do.” She wrapped her arms around Bo’s neck and kissed her tenderly. “I’ll be right back.”

Bo watched her go with such an intensity that she was certain Lauren could feel her looking after her even as the big wooden door slammed shut.  
__

What happened next was a waking nightmare. It started with an explosion that Bo and Kenzi heard from the inside of the clubhouse. Rushing outside, Bo found the file Lauren had gone in search of scattered in the gravel beside the Camaro. First came the wave of nausea and then the panic came and with it, it brought a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Dyson and Tamsin were running towards her. 

“Yeah, great security detail. You’ve got two thousand years between the two of you and you can’t protect one human in her own driveway?”

“Bo,” Dyson grunted. 

“It’s my fault. They got the jump on me, set off a smoke bomb and Dyson was just backing me up.” Tamsin said, coughing from the smoke.

“What am I supposed to say? Thank you?” Bo reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her keys.

“Where are you going?” Dyson asked.

“I’m going to find her.” She climbed into the Camaro. “And don’t follow me. Lauren doesn’t need anymore of your help.” She turned the key and the Camaro roared to life. She was backing out of the driveway when Kenzi appeared on the stoop. 

“Bo, what the hell?” Kenzi called out to her. But Bo was in the street, tires spitting up gravel and mud as she peeled out.  
__

It had been nine hours since Bo had disappeared into the depths of the city looking for Lauren. She turned every Dark Fae bar upside down trying to find someone with a clue where Lauren might be but she came up short. She fought without her healer, without a safety net. And when she was battered and bruised, she fought some more. She returned home only when the pain outweighed the payoff.

The Camaro creaked to a halt in the laneway of the clubhouse. Bo kicked open the door and pulled herself out of the car, her wounds becoming harder to ignore the longer she went without aid. When she reached the stairs she took them one at a time, using the railing to pull herself up. At the top of the stairs, Bo’s heart sank. A cardboard box with her name scrawled across it in black permanent marker and blood, so much blood splattered on the parcel. She picked it up gingerly and pushed through the front door. She limped through the mudroom and into the clubhouse to find Kenzi and Dyson sitting in her living room playing cards. She threw an angry glance in their direction.

“Shit, Bo. Are you okay?” Kenzi jumped to her feet as soon as she saw how battered and bruised Bo was. Then she saw the package in Bo’s quivering hands, instantly heading to intercept Bo in the kitchen as Dyson stood and watched the pair.

Bo set the box on the table in the kitchen and pulled the dagger out of her thigh holster and slit the tape holding the box shut. The flaps tented and Bo opened them tenuously. Bo dropped the knife and staggered backwards, covering her mouth. When she hit the cabinets, she sunk to the floor. Dyson walked to the box and peered inside. He looked away quickly. “Dyson, tell me it’s not her.” Kenzi skittered over to the box, flipping a flap. “Tell me it’s not her!” Bo yelled. 

Kenzi jumped backward. “Holy shit! There’s a hand in there!”

Dyson picked up the box and inhaled. Bo fought back the tears, still huddled on the floor. Kenzi crouched beside Bo and smoothed a hand across her back while they waited for the Wolf’s senses to reveal Lauren’s fate.

“It’s not her,” he said, finally. Bo sobbed her relief into Kenzi’s shoulder. “But she was present when this happened. It’s fresh.” 

Bo clambered to her feet and stumbled toward her bedroom. Dyson was in front of her before she could reach the stairs.

“Dyson, get out of my way.”

“Bo, you’re hurt. Let me help you heal.”

“Buddy, that’s the last thing I need right now.”

“She needs you to be strong, Bo.”

“You’re right. I want to be strong for her which is why I can’t accept your offer.”

“Look at you, Bo,” Kenzi interjected. “Let D-man help.”

She sighed. “I’m so not in the mood for this right now.” She looked up at him. “If you want to help, check the hard drive and get that hand to the lab, find out who it belongs to and while you’re at it find out who left that box while you were playing crazy 8‘s,” she said bitterly. “But right now, I need you to get the hell out of my way.” She pushed him back.

Dyson stepped aside and she was halfway up the stairs before he called after her. “Bo, this is suicide! A rescue mission when you aren’t at full health will only jeopardize you as well.”

She paused on the stairs and glared over her shoulder. “Maybe you’re right. Kenzi,” she looked past Dyson to Kenzi. “Order me a pizza.”  
__

The bathtub rumbled, its roiling water inching toward the lip of the tub. Bo stripped, letting her clothes drop haphazardly onto the floor beside the bath. She stepped into the water, so hot it left her feeling numbed. Sinking into the water, she waited for that feeling of sanctuary to come but it never did. Instead, she heard herself hissing as the water washed her wounds, turning it ruddy as she soaped her body. Caught in her thoughts, Bo stalled out, staring into space. She had let Lauren down, hell, she let herself down and now Lauren was in danger. Bo shook her head as her eyes began to well with tears. “Shit.” She slapped the water and succumbed to her despair. She held herself as her body shook with anguished sobs.

She let herself cry, something she didn’t indulge in often, but tonight her heart screamed for Lauren, and her desperate, defeated, and haggard cries echoed off the empty bathroom walls. Bo stood abruptly, wiping her face with her hands and grabbed the towel that was balanced on the sink. She dressed in clean clothes as fast as she could manage without wincing and armed herself to the teeth. Daring one last glance at the bed, its sheets still a jumble from their earlier exploits, Bo’s resolve steadied itself and, marching through the living room, she passed Kenzi and Dyson without a word, sword in hand, raising all the alarms. The front door slammed before Kenzi could call after her. 

There was one lead they didn’t explore that day and Bo was on a mission.  
__

“Shit. Look at this place.” Kenzi stood over the bathtub still full of bloodied water. She followed the wet footprints to her discarded towel, also stained with blood. “How is she even walking around?”

“She wouldn’t accept my help,” Dyson said.

“Girl got it bad, D-man.”

“We need to find her.”

“Just a hunch, but I don’t think she’s going to bang you in the back of the Camaro either.”

“C’mon,” he growled as he turned to descend the stairs.

“Hey! You can’t just growl at me and leave, wolfy. I went to bat for you…” She said, hopping down the stairs after him.

“Kenzi stop!” Dyson exploded. “She’s in trouble. Trick won’t even go against the cult of five, Bo is half dead and running into the fray without backup. I don’t have time for your sass right now.”

Kenzi shrunk back and nodded. “Let’s go.”   
__  
End pt 4


	5. Chapter 5

Bo didn’t bother shutting the Camaro’s lights off or rolling silently onto the lot that Café de Paris sat on. Instead, she drove in engine roaring, lights blazing and parked right in front of the restaurant. She pushed open the car door and gingerly stepped out onto the pavement. She took a moment to let the ache in her bones settle before pulling her sword from its sheath and stalking towards the building. There were still a few people seated at tables inside when Bo wrenched open the door. The diners gasped and stared at her, one or two even daring to whisper a few words before Bo charged through the dining room. 

The maitre d’ quickly dialed a phone and, as Bo passed him, she ripped the phone from the wall. She stormed down the hallway, trying every doorknob. A closet, a pair of bathrooms, access to the kitchen and at the end of the hall one locked door. She reared back and kicked the door in the sweet spot but it didn’t budge. She grimaced and backed down the hall, sheathing her sword. Several pairs of eyes peered at her from the dining room as she took a breath. With every last ounce of effort, Bo got a running start, charging into the door with her shoulder. The wood began to splinter but still held strong and Bo groaned and hunched over, a wave of nausea overcoming her. The pain was white hot. She slowly backed away from the door again, wincing and just as she started another run at the door, it opened. Bo jogged to a stop in front of the open door as a tall, thin man appeared in the doorway.

Bo looked him up and down, trying to catch her breath. “Where’s Lauren?”

“The Hybrid‘s Weapon, we’ve been expecting you.” He smirked. “I must say, you were a little slow on the uptake so we had to start without you.” He smiled cruelly. 

“If you‘ve hurt her…”

He sighed. “Relax, it’s nothing that she can’t undo with a good night’s sleep.”

She took a step forward. “Take me to her.”

“I never thought the Weapon would surrender so easily… it is foretold that you will be a formidable opponent.”

“Buddy, you have no idea.” Bo unsheathed her katana. “Let’s go or you’ll find out just how badass I really am.”

He laughed in her face, a hearty belly laugh that rumbled through her bones like a winter gust. “The Fae have waited for the Hybrid for generations, Weapon or not, she’s ours now.”

“Lauren is through being a slave to the Fae,“ she said through gritted teeth, lifting his chin with her sword. “You must not have heard me. Take me to Lauren. Now.”

He cleared his throat. “You‘re the Weapon.” He shrugged. “Follow me,” he said. They descended an iron staircase into what could only be described as catacombs. The walls were carved out of stone that had presumably been there for centuries. Bo followed the doorman through a series of tunnels with low ceilings before she heard the din of a celebration. She swallowed. The Doorman eyed her with a smarmy smirk as they grew closer still to the revelry. And then they arrived at the doorway to a hell Bo could’ve never anticipated. 

“Come along now,” he called as he disappeared into the room. 

Bo turned the corner, steeling herself with a deep breath. There was a small chamber with a long banquet table at the front of the room--her eyes scanned the room--twenty Fae milled about the center of the room around what could only be a cage. “Lauren,” she whispered, not able to get close enough to set eyes on her. A hand wrapped around her arm.

“Franklin, what have you brought me?” A portly man in a fashionable suit and ascot dabbed his mouth with a napkin. 

She wrenched her arm away from the large man. “Uh, I think you mean who.”

“I say what I mean, precious.” He winked.

The Doorman grinned. “This is the Weapon.”

“This little thing? Franklin, I think you are mistaken.”

He nodded, inhaling her scent. “She is the one.”

“Cut the shit. I’m here for Lauren.”

“I’m afraid she is needed here, precious.”

Bo lifted her sword to his throat. “Call me precious again.”

“No need to be rude, darling.”

“Don’t make me ask again.” Bo’s hand began to shake, the strain of her earlier fights taking their toll on her now.

He grinned. “A steady hand goes a long way when trying to get the jump on your adversaries.”

“You can keep changing the subject, but I’m not going to forget why I’m here.”

“No, I suppose not.” He sighed and waved his arms, the sea of people parted to reveal the cage, and to Bo’s horror, Lauren. She was bound, her arms tied to opposite sides of the cage, Bo’s eyes fell to her stomach and the wound there. Lauren was in scrubs, one hem cut away to allow for the incisions. And the incisions themselves that looked jagged and bloody, like the work of unskilled hands. She lunged toward the cage and that’s when Lauren saw her, a pained expression on her face. The guards restrained Bo so that she couldn’t get any closer. She raged against their grip, bucking like a wild animal until he spoke again. “Easy now.” He nodded at the men to release her.

“What did you do?” Bo asked, horrified.

“Just a little taste test.” He licked his lips, a satisfied smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“You‘ll pay for this,” she said through gnashed teeth.

“I waited a long time to savor the flesh of the Hybrid and I wasn’t disappointed.” She lifted her sword again but before she knew what was happening he had cracked her across the knuckles with the riding crop he carried. Her hand flexed involuntarily and she dropped her katana. “I bet you never even considered my crop as a weapon.” He chortled. “Look at you now.”

Bo glanced at her katana on the floor. “I bet you think you’re fast enough to pick that up before my guards get to you, but you would be wrong. You’re bleeding, you reek of it, precious.” The last word ended with a hiss and a sadistic smile. He tsked. Lifting his palm face up between them, he blew a puff of air onto it scattering a gritty substance not unlike sand into her face. Bo coughed, gasping for air as she tried to get her vision to clear. “It’s a shame, that you won’t be much trouble to anyone in your current state, I’m afraid.”

She rubbed her eyes, squinting at her surroundings, looking for danger. “Let her go,” Bo said, undeterred from her objective.

“Let her go,” he mocked. “You’re starting to sound like a broken record. I’m afraid it’s time for you to join your lover.” He waved the guards over. “Don’t you want to know what I did to you?”

“You’re a Sandman.”

He laughed a boisterous belly laugh. “Precious knows her Fae!”

Bo weakened, the warmth of sleep wanting to overtake her. “I’m not leaving without her.”

“Correction, my dear girl. You’re not leaving. Full stop.”

With that, Bo was scooped up from beneath her arms and dragged to a cage of her own. The last thing Bo remembered seeing through the clear plexi-glass of her cage was the anguished expression on Lauren’s face across the room.  
__

“So tell me why these Fae eat the good Humans?” Kenzi’s feet were on the dash, and she was hugging her knees to her chest. 

“The Quinary have believed in the existence of the Hybrid for hundreds of years.” Dyson folded his newspaper and dropped it in the center console. “The order believes in cannibalism. They consume the suspected Hybrid’s body, believing it can give them the Hybrid’s powers.”

Kenzi flipped down the sun visor and flipped it back up again several times before Dyson‘s hand pulled hers away. She scowled. “Sounds to me like these ‘ancients’ have a pretty screwed up way of relating to the rest of the world.”

“The Quinary aren’t in it for propriety’s sake, like shark fin and rhino horn, the Hybrids organs are highly sought even if they are false.”

“They’re gonna eat Lauren.” Kenzi still fought the notion that being Fae was such a bad thing afterall. “Dude, this is so beyond messed up.”

“Their belief comes from a Greek mythological tale.”

“The legend of Prometheus.” She nodded. “What? I paid attention in school…besides, who could forget a story about some dude getting his liver pecked out by a giant fricken bird every day for eternity?” Kenzi made a face. “What about Bo?”

“If Bo is the Weapon, she is Lauren’s protector, but in time they will consume her as well.” He sipped his coffee from a paper cup. “It is foretold that the Weapon will protect the Hybrid at all costs unless they can be separated.” 

Kenzi sighed and looked at Dyson. “I could’ve told you that.” She straightened in her seat. “How do you know all this stuff anyways?”

“Run with Trick long enough and you pick up a few things…”

“All right, so what’s the plan?”

“You’re going to stay out here. I’m going in there.” He nodded his head at the Café de Paris. 

“I know I’m one to state the obvious but it looks kinda deserted, don’t you think?”

“Given that Bo parked right in front of the it and the unfortunate culinary spin this has taken, I’m going to say she’s not in the salon or the vintner.” He opened the car door and climbed out. Ducking his head into the sedan he smiled at her. “Hold down the fort.”

She gave her best Brown Bird salute and smiled unconvincingly. “Bring ‘em back, D-man.”  
__

Bo came to in an acrylic box with air holes drilled in the top. Her cage was beside Lauren’s whose glowing hand brightened the dim chamber. Bo inhaled her scent through the openings in the top of her cage. She still smelled of blood, her Fae powers lagging to repair such a deep wound. Bo put a hand against the side of her cage and called out to Lauren, who was too preoccupied that she didn’t even notice Bo rouse.

Lauren looked up from her impossible wound and relief washed over her features. “Bo, thank god!”

“How bad is it?” Bo nodded at her wound.

She shook her head. “It will heal.”

“I can smell you, Lauren. Tell me the truth.”

“I don’t know, Bo. I feel like I should be more powerful than I am, like they expect me to be.”

“Maybe your powers haven’t matured yet.”

“Maybe what I did--how I became the Hybrid--was a fluke? Maybe I’m not strong enough to withstand their feasts long-term.”

“We won’t be here long enough to find out.”

“Bo…” She hung her head. “You shouldn’t have put yourself in such a position. They don’t shy away from eating Fae either.”

“Not this Fae.” She shook her head. “Why am I in this fish tank when you’re in a circus cage?”

“They put Fae they are afraid of in those.”

“And then what?”

Lauren looked down at her wound and shook her head. “Shit.” She swallowed. “Bo, I know you can do anything you set your mind to but I have to wonder what you have up your sleeve for this one, because the next time they excise my liver, it’s likely that I will die.”

Bo pounded on the side of her crystal clear cage with her fist in frustration. She felt so hopeless. So useless. She didn’t have a plan. Bo never had a plan. But this time--this time--she was going to have to come up with something. And she was going to have to come up with that something fast.   
__

Kenzi peered through binoculars, though highly unnecessary, she figured a closer look inside would help the situation. She panned to the left and looked to the right but all she could make out was a Hostess stand and empty tables all decked out in fine linen and silver cutlery. It was a truly elitist dining hot spot. 

She jumped as the driver side door opened abruptly and Dyson slid into his seat. “No dice?”

“No dice,” Dyson repeated. “It’s all locked up. We’ll have to come back when it’s light out.”

“What if they’re having Doc á la orange right now?”

“Short of breaking down the door and storming the restaurant, there’s not much I can do.”

“You mean to tell me if they were eating Bo’s liver you wouldn’t try a different approach?”

“Look Kenzi, I can’t blow my cover on the force by acting like a vigilante.”

“And you can’t let your ex’s main squeeze get eaten alive, dude. Even if she’s not your favorite Human.”

Dyson growled quietly. “It’s not about that.”

“Then what?” Kenzi pressed.

He sighed. “These Fae are bad news, Kenzi.”

“Since when has that ever stopped us?”   
__

It was hot in her plexi-glass cage with its tiny air holes and no real ventilation to speak of. Bo wriggled out of her leather jacket and balled it up behind her back. She sighed.

“Bo, what did you do?” Lauren asked, setting eyes on the succubus’ wounds for the first time.

“I shook down every Dark Fae bar from here to Niagara.”

“You haven’t healed.”

“It didn’t seem important.”

“Bo, these are ancient Fae, you’re going to need all the strength you can muster.”

“It’s gonna be okay,” Bo said.

Lauren was sheet white, her glowing hand still making little progress on the deep wound in her abdomen. She looked up, eyes worried. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“I know it may seem that way…”

“I can’t. Bo, I can’t do this.” She let her hand fall away from her wound and the chamber grew dim. 

Bo grimaced at the sight of it. “We’re not dying down here,” she said forcefully, banging on the side of her plastic prison. “You have to heal yourself, Lauren.”

And then she saw it, the moment Lauren was cracked wide open. The fear, the pain, the uncertainty all plainly written on her face as her eyes welled with tears. “Bo…”

“Please,” Bo implored, tears wetting her own eyes as she pressed her palm against the plexi-glass. She swallowed, reigning in her emotions. “You can do this.” She laughed joylessly. “You can do anything. Don’t quit now.”

She drew in a shaky breath and nodded, replacing her hand over the wound, a soft glow illuminating her face. “If we don‘t make a miraculous escape, I want you to know I never meant for this to happen. I only wanted to keep you safe.”

“Lauren--”

She held up a hand. “Just let me…” Bo nodded solemnly. “Bo, before I met you I never wanted to be Fae. Not once. And then there was you, and you were extraordinary and my heart has never been the same. Even if now I want nothing more than to spend hundreds of years in your arms, I never meant for this to happen,” she repeated. “I would take it all back if I could.”

“This isn’t your fault at all,” Bo reassured. “This is the Fae being disgusting in the name of tradition and if this wasn’t happening to you it would be happening to someone else.”

“But it’s happening to us, Bo. What are we going to do?”

“I’ll figure something out.”

“Bo…” Her tone was a warning.

“Just worry about healing, I’ll get us out of here,” Bo said. Lauren was watching Bo’s wheels turn as her hands worked the plastic seam of her cage. Filled with caulk, there was little hope of sucking anyone’s chi through the tiny air holes and nonexistent gaps where the plexi-glass met even if she could use her Fae. “Shit,” she sighed.

Lauren exhaled the breath she was holding as she watched Bo deflate. “If we get out of here--”

“When we get out of here,” Bo insisted. 

“Bo…” She said, unable to hide the melancholy in her voice.

“Lauren…” Bo stared at her.

“I need a vacation.”

Bo smiled and played along. “Where do you want to go?” 

“I don’t care. Just take me away from here. I need a break.”

“Anything you want.” The heat of her gaze warmed Lauren’s cheeks.

She sighed. “Oh, Bo. What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to get out of here,” she said resolutely.

Lauren smiled then. Her Bo, always so sure even in the middle of something unimaginably horrific. It was a talent all her own and even as Lauren’s hand glowed against her belly and an inconceivable wound, she tried to believe they would find a way out of this terrible mess.  
__  
End part 5


	6. Chapter 6

“So tell me more about these Ancient Assholes,” Kenzi said in the confines of their stake-out car that smelled of Fritos and lukewarm coffee.

“The Quinary is an ancient order of Fae--the Elders began the Human hunt, a trophy hunt for humans with exceptional abilities.”

“What do they want with Lauren?” Kenzi said ironically.

“Kenzi.” Dyson interrupted. “Bo loves you, you know that.”

“She just loves her more.”

“Sometimes you have to accept what others can give you, even if you want more than they offer you,” he said quietly. 

“She’s just so infuriatingly perfect. With her blonde hair and beauty, her doctor smarts, and her Fae…” The last word was spoken like a curse word--spat ugly into the night.

“And she is hunted because of it. You don’t want the kind of trouble Lauren courts with this new ability.”

She knew he spoke from experience and she knew he was right but Kenzi found herself resisting still. “She’s always going to be between us.”

“Not so much between as beside.”

“What’s gotten into you?” Kenzi looked at Dyson critically. “Since when did you become her number one fan?”

“I can’t deny Bo’s feelings any longer.”

“So that’s it? You’re giving up?”

Dyson sighed. “Kenz, it’s not about giving up or giving in, it’s about acceptance. Can you accept your new place in Bo’s life?”

“What other choice do I have?”

“Exactly.” He bumped her shoulder with his own.   
__

Hours had passed, Lauren’s hand still cast a warm glow on the space between them. It resembled the lamp light of Bo’s bedroom which kept them both calm. As calm as either could manage at this stage in the game. 

“Oh, Bo… I brought this all on myself,” she sniffed.

Bo leaned against the wall of her cage, her forehead lulling on her knees pulled close to her chest. Her bruises and cuts stung more and more with each passing hour. If she could just get a little sleep, maybe the ache in her bones and the burning of her wounds would lessen and she could think straight again.

“Lauren,” Bo’s voice was even. “There is no one to blame except the freaking Fae who insist on doing shit like this.”

Lauren wiped her tears away with her hand and dried her palm on her pants. “This feels so hopeless, Bo. I’m not healing fast enough. I don’t want to die like this.”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.“ She put her hand against the plexi-glass and stared at Lauren across the distance. “We’re not going to die in someone’s ancient man cave.”

Lauren laughed. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

“What can you tell me about this box?”

“They had another woman in a box like that when I arrived. It blocks your Fae as far as I can tell.”

“The hand?” Lauren’s face was serious. She nodded. “Jesus. They made you watch?” Lauren shook her head and looked away. “Lauren did you…?”

Her eyes closed and she rested her forehead against the bars of her cage. “I performed the amputation,” she said. “They were butchering her,” she added defensively.

“Shit. That is so messed up.” Bo exhaled. Silence settled between them, the ancient stones surrounding them were weeping for the humidity and for what they must have seen before. She couldn’t think about it anymore, Bo was too sore and too tired and yes, too horny, to wax philosophical about weeping rocks of an unsealed catacomb. “Hey, have I ever told you about how I pass the time in the night sometimes?”

Lauren paused. She had never considered how Bo spent her extra awake time after Lauren had drifted off. Now, she was kind of curious. “No?”

Bo scooted closer to the wall and put her palm up against it. “I like to plan fake trips.”

“What?”

“Yeah, while you thought I was surfing for porn, I was actually making mock, money’s- no-object itineraries for us.”

“Where would you take me?” Lauren’s voice softened and Bo could tell she was smiling.

“Rome, Athens, Paris… and then I thought you’ve probably been to all those places so I upped my game.”

“Oh?”

“Have you ever heard of a place called Angkor Wat? Who am I kidding, of course you have…”

“Bo…” Her voice was soft, comforting. “It’s okay.”

“Nothing about this is okay. It’s Saturday night and we were supposed to go out to dinner--for the first time in a year--and we’d be making love by midnight and right now, yes, right now, we are supposed to be raiding the fridge for a snack.”

“Where were you taking me for dinner?” 

“Le Chaudron. It’s this trendy little fondue restaurant.”

Lauren sighed. “That would have been nice.”

“Yeah. So are you free next Saturday?”

“Hmm,” Lauren grunted noncommittally. 

“Lauren?”

There was a long silence before she answered. “Yeah?” She sniffed.

“We’re gonna be okay.”

By dawn Lauren had healed. Bo stayed up with her through it all: the tears, the doubt, the regret of something she couldn’t even name anymore. And then she slept and Bo watched over her still. She was surprised when breakfast arrived on silver trays. Having never been afforded such dignities when she’d fallen prisoner in the past, Bo weighed it with the knowledge that cattle are well-fed too, to fatten them up for the slaughter, or in their case, the feast.  
__

It went on like that for three days and three nights, and each time Bo witnessed her agony. She had checked every crack in her cage and whatever hex they had put on the container itself showed no signs of dissipating. Each night Bo would stay up with her until dawn, keeping her distracted with stories of their adventures. It was all she could do and it just wasn’t good enough for Bo.

And then the night came when the hall remained dark. The Sandman nor the Frost Giant came and Bo and Lauren could only look at one another through their cages and wonder if they were coming back. Had Dyson cracked the case? Shut them down? Was he searching the restaurant as they waited? Would he find them before the next gruesome round? 

Bo could hear her breathing. The even in and out, the slow rise of her breast barely visible from her vantage point. Electricity prickled Bo’s skin. Lauren was kinetic, supercharged and Bo wanted her. She had not fed in days, her wounds were beginning to ooze as infection began to take hold of the dirty knife bites, split lips, and that gouge in her side where someone tried to run her through with a rusty crowbar. 

“You’re hungry,” Lauren’s voice echoed in the empty hall. She was too far to see the blue shimmering in Bo’s eyes or hear her breath, fast and relentless.

“I’m fine.” Bo tried pushing on the sides of her cage for the hundredth time and the outcome was no different than the first time she tried. “Shit.”

“What is it?”

“Nothing.” Bo sighed.

Silence, and then she spoke. “I love you, Bo.”

Every emotion in her body was at war. She felt her chin tremble and then the tears came. She hadn’t meant to cry, to break down, to let Lauren hear how she really felt. 

“Oh, honey,” came Lauren’s voice from the darkness. “Don’t give up. We still have a few adventures left in us yet.”

Bo sniffed and wiped away her tears, her resolve fortified. “Lauren?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m going to get you out of here. They won’t hurt you again.” Her voice was steely.

“I know you will…”  
__

Bo jerked awake. How long had she been out? Her eyes searched the room. She had fallen asleep and Lauren’s cage was gone. The nightmare was renewed.

“Where is she?!” Bo yelled, her voice so loud, it hurt her own ears.

“Settle down, Succubus,” The Doorman approached her cage.

Bo pounded on her cage. “Tell me where she is.”

“Or what?” He laughed at her.

“God dammit, where is Lauren?” 

“Tonight’s the night. Open house.” He clapped his hands together excitedly.

“No.” She shook her head. “She’s not strong enough.”

“She is the Hybrid. She will survive.” He dusted his hands off and began to turn away from Bo.

“Touch her again and I will kill you,” she growled.

A smile lit up the Doorman‘s face as he turned to face her again. “All bark and no bite. I must say you are not what I was expecting.”

“And what were you expecting?”

“A Weapon worthy of the Hybrid. Someone who wouldn’t let her our of their sight.

“I am all those things and more.”

“And yet…” He held up his hands illustrating Lauren‘s absence.

“Please, just let me see her.” Her vulnerability was showing through.

“Such pleasantries!” He laughed. “Do you know who else was very polite? Your grandfather.” Bo stopped struggling with the cage and stayed stock still. “We used to be friends, you know… started a little club together and everything but…” He drew in a deep breath. “…you know how these things go… I’m afraid after awhile he just lost a taste for it.” The Doorman grinned. “Don’t you worry now, she’ll be back soon enough. Farewell, Weapon!” 

Bo banged her back against the wall of her cage in defeat. “Shit.” She sighed.   
__

It was early evening and the lot behind Café de Paris was filling up. Dyson hopped out of their stakeout vehicle and walked toward the restaurant. The front door opened and the Doorman passed through it. “I’ve seen you lurking in the shadows for three days. Is there something I can help you with?”

“You know why I’m here.”

“I’m afraid I don’t, sir.”

“I’m here for dinner.” He smirked.

“I’m sorry, our restaurant is by reservation only.” 

“Then make me one of those.” He smiled.

“That won’t be possible. Our clients have made arrangements sometimes months in advance to eat here.”

Dyson looked around. “You’re located in a strip mall.”

“Our cuisine is world renowned.”

Dyson gritted his teeth. “By cannibals.”

“Come now, Wolf, surely if anyone were to understand it would be you.”

“I don’t eat my own kind.”

“Except for that one time, hmm?” He smirked.

“You know nothing!”

“I know everything about your hot little ex and her new flame, too. I bet that stung, huh?“ He grinned.

“You‘ve been watching us.”

“It’s my job,” he said simply. “Now go on, rally the troops. I wouldn’t mind meeting that Valkyrie of yours, either.”

“She’s not mine.”

“Oh, poor Wolf, all alone, with no mate to speak of. She‘ll come around once she‘s separated from the Hybrid. Won‘t you help us make that transition?”

“Take me. Let Bo and Lauren go.”

“So admirable!” He chortled. “I wasn’t expecting such chivalry from you, but I’m afraid you just won’t do. Kind of what I take away from your relationships.”

Dyson growled and grabbed the Doorman by the throat. “Take me to them!”

A snarl startled the dining room and a man in dark clothes leapt at Dyson, tackling him to the floor in front of the Doorman. The men rolled around on the ground, punching, growling and biting each other until Dyson slipped out of the embrace that kept him pinned to the floor. He popped up onto his feet. 

“Silas!” Dyson lunged at the other, more powerful, shifter.

He grinned, his white teeth gleaming in the low light of the restaurant. “Good to see you, Dyson. It‘s been awhile.”

“Not long enough,” he growled.

“It’s a shame you can’t taste hundreds of years of hard work.”

“Those are my friends.”

“Under your nose all this time. Such a disappointment, Dyson…” Dyson clenched his jaw. “You better get back to that little Human treasure before I rip her to shreds,” he sneered. He shoved Dyson out the door.

“Call and make a reservation,” the Doorman called after him.  
__

Dyson dropped into the driver’s seat of the car and slammed the door.

Kenzi shook her head. “Just when you think the Fae couldn‘t get any more foul, bam! Right in the middle of Hannibal Lecter‘s lair.”

Dyson dabbed blood from his lip. “The Quinary have an elite squad of shifters that do their hunting for them.”

Kenzi scooted closer. “And they asked you to join up?”

“Sort of.”

“Score! Ready-made cover, D-man!”

“Except I kind of blew it,” Dyson interrupted her celebration.

“Oh.”

“We’ll find another way in, I have faith.”

Dyson smiled. “Look, Kenzi, it’s too dangerous. You’re going to have to hang back and let me handle this.”

“Are you kidding me? Kenzi ain’t going out like that.”

“I know you want to help but I can’t risk losing you, too.”

“Tough, because I’m your wheelman.” Kenzi folded her arms.

Dyson exhaled. “Bo is gonna kill me.”

Kenzi smiled, knowing she had one. “So people know what‘s on the menu? And they eat there anyway?”

“It appears so.”

“But what if you just wanted a regular meal?” Before Dyson could answer, Kenzi hopped to her feet. “That’s it! If they are serving illegal meats…” Kenzi made a face and shuddered. “Can’t we just report them? I mean, don‘t you have some Fae Food Inspector friend you can call to get them shut down?”

Dyson raised a finger and nodded. He dialed his cell phone. “Jonesie, meet me at Café de Paris in an hour. There’s something you’re gonna wanna see.”  
__  
End part 6


	7. Chapter 7

She heard the wonky wheel of Lauren’s cage chattering as it approached in the hallway outside. Bo sat up on her knees as they rolled Lauren’s cage into the hall. She looked fine, her cage cleaned and she was clothed in fresh scrubs. The Sandman’s shoes clicked on the stone as he arrived with a doctor directly after Lauren. They approached the hatch through which they ritualistically prodded her for days on end.

“Dr. Lewis, we brought a doctor in to see how you‘re healing.”

“There’s no way in hell I’m letting anyone in your organization examine me,” Lauren’s voice came, finally. 

“Don’t be grouchy, Doctor. We only want to make sure that you can handle the strain.”

The doctor reached into the hatch and Lauren kicked him away. “You will not touch me.”

“I know this must be important to you.” He ran his hand along the top of her cage. “This sense of control. Well, it’s a false sense of control, Doctor. And soon you will realize we take what we want whether you want us to or not.”

Bo banged on her cage. “Don’t you touch her!” Her eyes glistened with her fury. She had seen too much and couldn’t go on a day longer with this feeling of impotence. 

The doctor jumped back.

“Don’t mind her.” He smiled. “Bo’s a bit like a lap Chihuahua -- when someone gets close she barks her fool head off but otherwise she just sits there and looks pretty.”

“I will kill you!”

The Sandman laughed. “Such a delightful girl, isn’t she?”

“Without inspecting the wound, I can’t attest to her statement that she is healing.”

“You can keep your hands to yourself.”

“Am I to take this as you turning down medical care, Dr. Lewis?”

“For you to pretend that you care about my welfare is ridiculous. She’s starving and where is her healthcare?”

“I’m not in the practice of feeding hungry succubae.”

“And why do you insist on making her watch the surgeries?”

“She is your Weapon. Your fate is hers. And when I tire of her temper tantrums you will watch as we dine on her as well.”  
__

The door creaked as they entered Café de Paris, a cacophony of cutlery, water and wine glasses, and the full din of Fae gossip and pageantry greeting them. The Doorman approached Dyson, Tamsin, and Jonesie in a hurry

“This is my dinner rush. Come back later.”

“Sorry, Sweeney Todd,” Tamsin smiled, flashing her badge. “My friend Jonesie here has had some reports of unsanctioned meat being served in this establishment.”

Dyson smiled at the Doorman. The diners began to chatter, dishes fell in the kitchen, and the waiters all stopped their precise and perfectly choreographed movements, grinding the entire restaurant to a halt.

“Would you keep it down,” he hushed them and sequestered them by the front door. “You can’t just come in here and start breaking my balls…”

“We need to see the kitchen.” The Doorman looked between Tamsin and Jonesie. “Now.”  
__

Bo was on edge. People were starting to filter into the main hall, many more than usual. A hush fell over the crowd as a procession delivered Lauren’s cage to the head of the room, far from Bo’s watchful eyes.

“Bo?” Lauren’s voice was sleepy; disoriented. What had they done to her? As she awoke the horror of her situation slipped in. “What are you doing? No!”

“Lauren?” Bo got to her knees and tried to see over the crowd that surrounded Lauren’s cell. “Lauren!” Bo banged on the seemingly impervious plexi-glass wall of her cage. “Leave her alone!” She shouted, pounding harder on her confinements.

“Bo!” It was the last word she heard before the screaming started. Every hair on her body stood on end and Bo began to hyperventilate. This was not happening. But she couldn’t deny the horrible reality when Lauren shrieked in pain again. Every agonizing sound she made, Bo became more enraged. Her breath came in huffing gasps as she threw herself at the side of her own cage. The plexi-glass container creaked. Again, she hurled her body at the opposite side of the cage. It made a groaning sound so she threw herself at the other side again. The screaming was so loud now, but Bo came to the realization that she was screaming, too. Hurling herself back and forth, screaming for the pain Lauren had to endure and for the inability to make it stop. Her cuts and bruises were reignited as her back smacked against the plastic barrier again and again. Bo was creating a masterful rhythm, slamming to and fro, and the cage began to rock. She had finally gotten the cage off-balance and a few more wails and it came crashing to the ground, splintering into pieces. Bo was on her feet in seconds, her eyes glowing. “Get away from her.” She advanced on the crowd menacingly.

“Oh, the Weapon has finally decided to join us, ladies and gentlemen. Pay her no mind.”

Nonetheless, the crowd parted as Bo approached Lauren’s cage. Her eyes roved over the scene. There was a lot of blood but she was still breathing. Her wounds were deep and she was pale and sweaty.

“Get out of my way,” Bo said through gritted teeth, her face red from exertion or crying, or both. “Lauren?” She shivered. “We’re going to leave now and if you try to follow us you will learn your lesson painfully.” She took a step forward, The Sandman put out a hand to block her.

“This is all very touching, but I’m afraid your lover is still on the menu tonight.”

“Wrong answer.” Bo backhanded The Sandman, who nodded at his personal security detail to intervene. Rather than wait for them to come to her, Bo charged after the men. Brandishing tazers and clubs, they came at her hard but Bo was beyond pain now. Her wounds bled beneath her shirt and not even electrocution or a savage beating would be enough to stop Bo now. She stood above the crumpled bodies of The Sandman’s security team and left a trail of blood as she approached again. 

“Party’s over, boys!” Bo taunted. “The days of you hunting humans like trophy bucks are numbered. I’m shutting your little operation down. This will never happen again.”

“Unaligned succubus,” he spat. “You think you have any authority here? You’re an infant. You might escape with your life, but her? We will never stop hunting. So keep dreaming, child, this is her destiny now.”

Bo shoved The Sandman back from Lauren’s cage and tried to open it. “Unlock it. Get her out of there.”

“You do realize I can stop you whenever I want to.”

“I thought this was too easy.” She patted him on the cheek. “Whenever you want to show me what you’ve got, bring it.”

“If stories of the succubus that could drain a room are to be believed, this act of yours is unconvincing.”

The Ogre King moved towards Lauren’s cage. “Let her out,” Bo ordered.

“I’ve had enough of this game,” The Sandman said. “It’s time for you to go now.” He waved a hand and the Ogre charged her. 

She threw an elbow, breaking his nose and while he was bent over, groaning, she kicked him with enough force to send him stumbling to the center of the room. Standing up, he ran at her again, but she side stepped his advance and tripped him instead.

Bo dusted off her hands and approached the Ogre King again. “I’m never going to stop protecting her, you may as well do your worst because I can take out these ham-handed Ogres all day long.”

“Bo…?” Lauren’s voice was weak, her body still.

“I’m here.” Bo yanked on the lock. She turned to The Sandman. “Let her out.”

“You don’t even have a weapon, why should I listen to you?”

“Buddy, I am the weapon.”

“Then release her yourself.” He folded his arms.

Just then, a hood covered her face from behind. Bo stumbled backwards in the dark.

“Not so powerful now, hey succubus?” He teased.

They were cuffing her and leading her somewhere, Lauren’s voice called out for her again and her fear pricked Bo’s skin. “Lauren!” She shouted. “Don’t you touch her. Don’t touch her!” Bo was incensed. She had let them get the better of her and because of that Lauren’s life was at risk. They were still close, Bo could still smell Lauren. Now or never. She whipped her neck and threw the hood from her head. Eyes blue, Bo realized why her assailant had paused. They were approaching Lauren’s cage again. “No!” Bo shouted.

“Get her out of here!” The Sandman commanded.

Bo’s temperature began to rise, her skin crawling with heat and light, she had gone rogue, melting down as her instinct to protect Lauren reached its peak. She stumbled forward. “Lauren?” Her voice was otherworldly, and she was barely clinging to control. When no sound came she looked at the men surrounding the cage, shaking their heads.

“Perhaps this was not the right and true heir, after all.” He cocked his head. “She‘s gone.”

“Lauren!“ Agony pierced the silence and blind fury crushed Bo’s chest. Her eyes ignited and blue fire burned in them. She broke her bonds and her mouth opened, eyes wide as she began to draw the life force out of the room. A steady blue stream of chi fed the succubus, her wounds healing instantly. The weakest bodies began to crumple to the floor but the Sandman stood at the head of the room, head high as his chi disappeared into the ether and finally, after hundreds of years, he collapsed too. 

Bo had tasted hundreds of different types of chi but this was unlike anything she had ever come across. Robust and bitter, she tasted iron and ale. Musty and old and when it hit Bo, she had to steady herself. She gasped, holding her sides and straightening as she walked toward Lauren, afraid of what she was going to find.

Her boots echoed against the stone walls as she approached the cage. With slow, methodical steps, she moved toward Lauren. Bo ripped the lock from the cage and knelt in front of the open door. She pushed Lauren’s hair away from her face, sweaty and matted and leaned down to kiss her, a trail of red fortifying the doctor as she pulled away.

Lauren gasped and began to cough. Reaching into the cage, Bo pulled her into an embrace and fought the tears that pricked her eyes. “You’re okay.” She lifted Lauren out of the cage and began to walk toward the door, stepping over dozens of bodies as she went. Bo’s bones ached again, she was so weak it was a wonder she could carry Lauren, but she was running on pure adrenaline now. Her wounds reverted, only marginally better than before, but Lauren was alive, her face pressed into Bo’s neck as they made a break for freedom.

“Where do you think you’re going, Succubus?” A voice came from the darkness by the stairs. Silas stepped from the shadows to block their path to the stairs.  
__

Dyson had slipped away from Jonesie and the Doorman five minutes ago and he’d returned to the only locked door. As he tried the knob again, the Doorman skipped towards him. 

“You mustn’t go in there.”

He swung at the Doorman, who sidestepped the intended sucker punch and Dyson’s fist went through the drywall beside him. Dyson was baffled by the Doorman‘s speed. “Mr. Dyson, I’ve afforded you every courtesy and you bring your hooligan antics into my restaurant? For shame.”

“You’re right.” Dyson’s fist connected with his chin this time and dropped him. “I won’t make the same mistake twice.” He frisked the Doorman for the keys . A few false positives and he had the door open. A howling gust of wind screamed past him as he opened the door and he hoofed it down the stairs.

“Lauren?” Bo sniffed. “You’re gonna be okay.” Dyson followed the sound of her voice to the main hall. The room was full of fresh bodies, but he only smelled one type of blood and he knew who it belonged to. He scanned the room for the women. Bo was stumbling toward him, carrying Lauren.

“Bo!” He called out, his voice echoing in the once sacred hall. 

“Dyson, look out!“ And then he spotted Silas, running full speed towards him.

It was a vicious tackle, taking Dyson out at the knees, followed by a flurry of punches. As Silas stumbled backwards he taunted Dyson. “I was just about to rip out their throats…”

Dyson reared back. “Go now!” He yelled at Bo. 

Silas gnashed his teeth and howled, his body morphing into a wolf. He took off running after Bo and Lauren, who had only just made it to the stairs. Silas leapt at the women. A blood curdling yelp filled the atrium. Dyson had changed, too and had timed his jump to intersect Silas’. The wolves hit the stone floor with a thud and began tearing each other apart.

Bo was halfway up the stairs with Lauren, but she looked back for the detective when she heard whimpering. “Dyson?”

From the shadows, Dyson emerged, naked at bloody. “He’s dead.” He grabbed a table cloth from a tipped table and wrapped it around his waist. “We have to get out of here. When word spreads about this many Fae deaths, we’re going to have a serious PR problem.”

“I’m through with these assholes,” she spat. “Let them come.”

“Bo…”

“One thing at a time, Dyson.” They climbed the stairs slowly, Bo’s fatigue causing her to stumble into the restaurant, where the diners were being treated to the full show. 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Jonesie flashed his badge. “It has come to our attention that this restaurant does not conform to safe food handling and sourcing of product and is being shut down for these infractions. I apologize for the inconvenience, but do yourself a favor and go find some clean food to eat.” Jonesie nodded at Dyson as he passed through the dining room.

As the restaurant began to empty, Kenzi kicked open the door to the Camaro and ran to open the door for the emerging hostages. “Holy shit! Are you guys all right?”

“A-ok, Kenz.” Lauren said, though nowhere near okay.

“Yo D-man, remind me to tease you about your table cloth toga at a more appropriate time.”

He smiled and shook his head.

“Keys.” Bo put her hand out to Kenzi humorlessly, pained.

“Bo-Bo, why don’t you let me and D-man drive you guys home?”

“Kenzi…”

“Bo?”

“I just want to get back to the clubhouse and wash this disgusting ordeal away.”

“You can do whatever you need to do in the back seat and I swear, I won’t even let Dyson watch in the rearview.”

Lauren’s hand covered Bo’s wrist. “Thank you,” she said to Kenzi.

Kenzi smiled at Lauren. “Hey Doc.” It was forced, but she was at a loss for words. After all, what did you say to someone who was tortured for a week and survived the ordeal with the quiet demeanor that Lauren still possessed? She’d figure it out on the way home.  
__

Bo’s boots clunked along the floorboards like a cowboy’s in an empty saloon as she walked to Lauren’s side. She sat on the edge of the bed. Her hand pressed against Lauren’s forehead before peeking underneath the duvet at the space where a wound formerly marked her flawless skin. 

“I’m fine.” Lauren smiled at Bo. “Did you sleep?” Lauren could tell that she hadn’t. 

“I’m fine,” she echoed, smiling back at her.

“Did that really happen?”

Bo swallowed. “Yeah, it happened.”

Lauren held her head. “I died. I’m sure of it.”

“Yes.” She nodded, solemnly. “I brought you back.”

“How did you get free?”

She shook her head and closed her eyes, drinking in the silence before speaking again. “You move me to do the impossible.” Her hand cupped Lauren’s cheek as their eyes met. 

The top stair creaked. “Ahem.” Kenzi cleared her throat from the stairwell. “The, uh, welcome wagon has arrived fair heroines.”

Bo sighed. “I said no visitors.”

“And I get that, I totally do, but your grandpappy is beating down the door with that Dark Harpy, Evony.”

“What do they want?” Bo asked.

“They are probably just checking for pulses, but who could say?” Kenzi shrugged.

Bo looked to Lauren. “You want me to handle this?”

“No, Bo, it’s fine. Kenzi, we’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Kenzi nodded. “Glad you‘re back, Doc.”

“Thanks, Kenz.” 

She retreated down the stairs noisily and they could hear her bellowing that visiting hours wouldn’t be starting for another twenty minutes.

“You’re sure you’re up for the gruesome twosome?”

Lauren laughed. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, sitting up. 

“I can handle them if you want…”

“It’s fine. If I am the Hybrid, I’m going to have to face them eventually.”

“How can you say ‘if?’” Bo asked.

“Bo, I don’t know what happened in that chamber, but when you brought me back with the chi of the Quinary, I felt stronger and smarter than ever. It’s like I wasn’t the true Hybrid until you gave me their chi.”

“They were the missing ingredient in their sick buffet all along. Does that mean there were other hybrids through the years?”

“No telling,” Lauren shrugged. 

“So why the ‘if?’”

“Maybe I’m being humble, maybe it’s that I don’t know what happened and it all bears further scrutiny. More experiments, more blood tests, et cetera.” 

“The works, as they say.” Bo smiled. “I suppose we should get you ready to meet the masses.”

“First things first.” Lauren leaned forward towards Bo. “You’re weak.”

Bo chuckled. “Become the Hybrid and suddenly you’re a critic?”

“You’re favoring your side, you haven’t healed.” Lauren lifted the edge of Bo’s shirt to reveal a roadmap of bruises over her ribs.

“They’ll be time for that later.” Bo shrugged her off and took a step backwards, just out of reach. “C’mon,” she whispered, offering her a hand out of bed. “Let’s get you dressed.”  
__  
End part 7


	8. Chapter 8

Bo shuffled down the stairs first, making sure the way was clear for Lauren, who emerged with her hair up in a towel and a plush terry cloth robe. 

Evony chortled. “I guess it’s true what they say, domesticity breeds complacency. Is this how you meet guests now?”

“That depends. Who told you that you were a guest?” Lauren set her jaw and crossed her arms.

“Ladies,” Trick interjected. “We’ve come to ensure your safety.”

“Where were they last week?” Kenzi muttered to Bo.

“You’ve angered a lot of people. Five of our oldest Fae are dead by your hand,” he continued. 

“If I could have killed them twice I would have.” Bo growled.

“I understand you had a legitimate disagreement with these Fae…”

“Disagreement?” Lauren chimed in. “They dined on my organs and kept Bo locked up, starving in a fishbowl of a cage for nearly a week.”

“And you wouldn’t help then, so why help us now?” Bo added.

“The Hybrid must choose a side.” Evony interjected.

“What?” Lauren exhaled.

“No. No way.” Bo threw her hands up. “I call bullshit on this whole exchange.” 

“Bo, she must.”

“That’s what you said to me and I’m doing all right unaligned.”

“I won’t choose.” Lauren shook her head.

“Aww, where’s your unicorn horn, My Little Pony? You think you’re so special because you’ve got this brute of a girlfriend looking after you, well let me tell you, sister, if you’re the Hybrid, your life is about to get much more complicated.”

“She’s right. Everyone will want something from you. Everyone will be looking for a way to take you out,” Trick added.

“Choose,” Evony urged. “And hurry up about it, brunch is calling my name.”

Bo eyed Trick and Evony. Both wore a smug expression and shifty eyes. “It’s a trick.” Bo said, finally. She looked at Lauren. “Only when you separate the Hybrid from the Weapon do they become truly vulnerable. They’re trying to dupe you.”

“I choose Humans,” Lauren’s words echoed like Bo’s had in the glass factory all those years ago.

Evony made a sound of disgust. “Little Bo Peep and her sheep here have just ruined my appetite.” She sighed. “Come along, Tricksy, I’ve grown tired of the Human and her pet Succubus.”

Trick turned, looking back at Bo. “You have made some powerful enemies, Bo. Your life will never be the same after this.”

“You’re right. I’ll never forget what they did to Lauren or how you did nothing to help.” She said sharply.

“Bo…”

She moved closer to Lauren, protectively. “Leave us now.”

Evony snorted. “Come on, Trick. A mimosa is screaming my name.”

“We’re family, Bo. You can’t break those bonds so easily.”

“Watch me.” She said it with her head held high, eyes staring down at him.

“Trick shook his head. You squander your gifts, Bo. You were meant for so much more than this.”

“Than what? What’s the rest of that sentence?” Bo asked angrily.

“Your destiny is to lead the Fae, not bed a Human half-blood.”

Lauren scoffed. “Good to know where we stand, finally.”

“My priority has always been Bo, you are just a distraction,” he said.

“Go. Now.” She pointed at the door and Evony rolled her eyes. “You will not come into our home and disrespect my family.”

“Family? I’m the only family you have!” Trick bellowed suddenly. Bo had struck an already raw nerve.

She ignored his outburst. “Oh, and Trick? The Sandman sends his regards.” Bo’s blank expression told him all he needed to know.

Trick recoiled. She had planted the seed and waited for it to germinate. “You mustn’t believe him, Bo.”

Bo checked her imaginary watch. “Well, that’s all the time we have for Crackpot Theatre. Kenzi will you show our guests out?”

“With pleasure.” She herded Trick and Evony towards the door. “Remember to RSVP next time for free appetizers after six p.m.” She shut the hulking wooden door in their faces. “Ahhh, sweet, sweet comeuppance.” She turned back to the women who were in a heated discussion.

“Let me see.” Lauren lifted the edge of Bo’s shirt. Her wounds were better than they were, having tasted the chi before she shared it with Lauren, but they were still quite obviously painful and lingering. “You need to feed.”

“Delivery boy extravaganza, coming right up!” Kenzi exclaimed, reaching for her phone.

“No.” Lauren’s voice cut through the joy in Kenzi’s. “There’s no need for that.” Lauren lifted Bo’s shirt again and pressed her hand against her ribs. It began to glow.

“Oh gag, are you going to do it down here for the grand finale?”

“Kenzi…” Bo warned.

Lauren pulled her hand away. “As someone who has caught the live show on many occasions, can I just say you’re much faster than you used to be, Doc.” Bo smirked at Kenzi. “If you need me--and obviously you don’t--I’ll be in my room.”

When the clunking footsteps disappeared from earshot, Lauren called for her. “C’mere.” Bo played coy, walking slowly toward the doctor. Her arms snaked around Lauren’s waist. “Take off your top,” Lauren whispered into her ear.

Any other day, and Bo would‘ve been over the moon to hear Lauren say those words to her. But right now, in that moment, it felt hollow. “Lauren...”

“I need to see how bad it is…”

Bo shrugged her off. “I’ll be fine. I just need to feed.”

Lauren sidestepped Bo and pushed her top up her back. “Goddess,” Lauren gasped. Bo’s back was complimentary shades of purple, green, and black, the contusions from her cage defying escape, still vibrant and angry. “Bo,” she said sadly, walking around to face her again. Her hands cradled Bo’s face. She smiled. “Take me to bed.”

“Lauren… “ Bo warned her of the coming storm.

“Bo, I’m fine. You made sure of that. Now please, let me help you.” She took Bo’s hand in hers and led her up the creaking stairs. The bedroom was warm like a cocoon, its gossamer curtains protecting them from the harsh realities of the Fae. They sat on the edge of the bed for what felt like forever, breathing the same air, feeling the same reverberations from their ordeal. Lauren smoothed her hand over Bo’s back and then underneath her top, the glow then was brighter than it had ever been before and mere moments later, Bo was healed.

She gasped. “Whoa.”

“Do you know what this means? Do you know how many people I am going to be able to help?”

“Lauren, you can’t.” Bo looked at her sadly. “You’re Fae now--or at least part-Fae--and you have a responsibility.”

“To the Fae? I’m a doctor, it’s my duty to do everything in my power to save a life and if I can save one human with my Fae, then all the pain will have been worth it.”

Bo winced. “I just think we need to be careful.”

Lauren exhaled the fight and inhaled freedom. She crawled onto the bed and laid back against the pillows, piled two-high. She yawned. “Can I just sleep for a week?”

Bo leaned back against the headboard. “I won‘t take my eyes off of you.” Lauren hummed and pulled Bo’s arm across her midsection and Bo scooted down to her level. She kissed her neck. “Lauren?” Bo whispered. When no answer came, Lauren’s calm, even breathing made her heart swell. They had been to hell and back and she was sure there was more to come but right then, right when Lauren inhaled and shifted closer, Bo smiled. They could do this, she was sure of it. Because they had each other, inextricably connected as friends, as lovers, as Hybrid and Weapon. Bo exhaled.

“Love you,” Lauren murmured into her pillow.  
__

She woke to Lauren kicking and screaming. Bo leapt out of bed and reached for the blade she kept beneath the bed. When Lauren awoke, gasping for air, Bo dropped the blade onto the side table. “You okay?” She said, out of breath, too.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Nightmare.” Lauren’s hand was on her side, but it didn’t glow.

“Does it hurt?” Bo asked, clambering back onto the bed.

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“Can I do anything?” Bo wrung her hands. 

“It’s so vivid. I just need some distance.”

Bo reached over to the side table and opened the drawer. She fished around through a stack of papers before withdrawing an envelope. She thrust it into Lauren’s hand. “When you’re feeling better…”

“What’s this?” Lauren reached into the envelope, page by page she began to smile. “You weren’t putting me on.” When she got to the last page she released a paperclip and opened a small folder. Gasping, she covered her mouth. “Oh, Bo.”

“Open tickets. We can go whenever you want for as long you want.”

“How did you afford this?” Lauren held her hand. 

“I’ve been saving since we had that finance summit.” 

Lauren laughed. Once upon a time she had sat down with Bo and Kenzi to discuss their waning finances during a particularly brutal push with their P.I. business. Despite trying to help she feared that she only made things worse because Bo seemed to have less and less money after that. Now she knew why. 

“You didn’t have to do this.”

“I know. But it was time for one of these trips to become a reality.” Bo shut the drawer.

“C’mere,” Lauren said again, and this time Bo was eager in her arms. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Listen, I’m going to be fine.”

“You can’t pretend that it didn’t happen,” Bo whispered, afraid to hear her own words at conversation volume.

Lauren drifted away, her gaze off somewhere in the distance of the bedroom. “Take me away from here, Bo. Away from the Fae, away from all those that mean to harm us so that something like this never happens again.”

Bo choked on her guilt. “I will do anything that you need me to do.”

“Feed.” She looked at Bo seriously. “On me.”

They had been here before and it was weird. But Lauren was strong enough now and she wanted to feel useful, to give Bo what she couldn’t for much of their relationship. “Lauren…” Bo smiled awkwardly. “I’m okay. I mean, I’ll be okay.”

“Please don’t fight me on this.” She watched the indecision play on her face. Bo chewed her lip, her eyes roaming, and finally, she reached for Lauren, her hand coming to rest behind Lauren’s neck. Leaning into her, Bo kissed her so softly, Lauren wasn’t sure it had happened, and then the inevitable draw of chi. Bo spun a lock of Lauren’s hair around her finger lazily as the chi flowed between them. It was her gentleness that broke Lauren. After days of barbaric treatment, Lauren was home and though Bo was taking her chi, she was giving her her dignity back. Bo pulled away and sat back on the bed. Lauren looked up, shy all of the sudden, and pressed her fingers against her lips. “Come away with me.” She turned the tickets over in her hands.

“Are you sure you don’t want to decompress first? Take some time to come to terms with what happened?”

“No. I can’t risk a new threat trapping us here any longer.”

“I’ll book the tickets in the morning.” Bo kissed her cheek and stood. “Get some sleep. I’ll talk to Kenzi.”

Bo had her hand on the railing, poised to take the first step downstairs when Lauren spoke. “Don’t go.”

Bo’s hand recoiled and she swiftly found herself at Lauren’s side again. She didn’t say a word, her eyes haunted and Bo climbed back into bed with her. “We’ll get through this.” Bo whispered into her hair. She had to believe that she spoke the truth. For Lauren’s sake.  
__

A week later, they were three days into their Cambodian adventure--the furthest reaches from the Fae--and Bo was slicing a path through the jungle. Lauren held a compass directing Bo as she spun the machete in her hand.

“Just be careful, I don’t know if my hand can reattach limbs.”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Bo grinned over her shoulder and Lauren rolled her eyes good naturedly. 

They could’ve taken a tour, with all the other tourists, but Lauren was a purist and Bo, truth be told, just wanted a reason to use a giant frigging blade to bushwhack across the country. They were backpacking. Quite a bit separated from the beach vacation they had initially planned.

Bo stopped to unscrew the top on a water jug slung around her. She took a long drink and offered it to Lauren who watched Bo dab sweat from her cleavage and forehead with similar gusto before gulping down a mouthful of water.

“We should’ve stayed on the trail,” Lauren said.

“We’re fine. Besides, this is how you experience a country.”

“Bo, we’re in the middle of the jungle with any number of things that could kill a normal person.”

“Lucky for us, we’re not normal.” Bo’s smile could have lit up Phnom Penh. She turned and began Whacking at the brush and they began to move forward again.

“For some reason I think a landmine would be the great Fae equalizer.”

“Touché.” One more swipe and Bo stumbled onto an intersecting trail.

“Finally,” Lauren exhaled. “Our boat leaves in two hours.”

The remainder of the hike was easier but also bland and uneventful compared how grueling the bushwhacking had been. Lauren adjusted her pack. It was heavy and bursting with all manner of supplies. She had thought of everything and she had brought it all with her, Bo teased.

The rest of Lauren’s luggage had only recently began to dissipate. The night terrors still came, but less and less frequently. It wasn’t fear that woke her in the dead of night, sweating and shivering. It was the pain. Her body had a memory of its own and it was excruciating. The phantom pain was a constant. She could be often be seen with her hand on her side, grimacing, but no amount of healing made the pain go away. All of this, she could live with, Lauren decided. She had the love of a good woman and a new, much longer lease on life to spend with her. If she was changed by what happened, Bo never let on that she had.

Floating down the Mekong river, life moved at a peculiar pace. Far away from home, the soupy heat clinging to her skin, Lauren smiled. Bo was pointing at something that Lauren couldn’t see, her sunhat flopping over her eyes. She looked back over her shoulder at Lauren, smile so big that Lauren felt it in the pit of her stomach. Pure joy. She looked down at Bo’s dirty hand covering hers in her lap. Closing her eyes, she turned her face to the punishing sun. She was alive. As Fae, as Human, or both, it didn’t matter, they had done their worst and Lauren Lewis had survived.  
__

Fin.


End file.
